Richard Lenski
Richard E. Lenski | |
|---|---|
Richard Lenski with Long-Term Flasks and Incubator on May 26, 2016 | |
| Born | August 13, 1956 |
| Education | University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Oberlin College |
| Known for | E. coli long-term evolution experiment |
| Parents |
|
| Relatives | Richard C. H. Lenski (great-grandfather), Lois Lenski (great-aunt) |
| Awards | NCSE Friend of Darwin Award (2017) Sewall Wright Award (2012) MacArthur Fellowship (1996) Guggenheim Fellowship (1991) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Evolutionary biology Experimental evolution Microbiology |
| Institutions | Michigan State University University of California, Irvine |
| Thesis | Effects of competition and disturbance on ground beetle populations (1982) |
| Doctoral advisor | Nelson Hairston |
| Other academic advisors | Bruce Levin (Postdoctoral Mentor) |
| Doctoral students | Paul E. Turner Zachary Blount Michael Travisano |
| Website | lenski telliamedrevisited |
Richard E. Lenski (born 1956) is an American evolutionary biologist who is the John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor of Microbial Ecology at Michigan State University. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a MacArthur Fellow. Lenski is best known for his still ongoing 37-year-old long-term E. coli evolution experiment, which has been instrumental in understanding the core processes of evolution, including mutation rates, clonal interference, antibiotic resistance, the evolution of novel traits, and speciation. He is also well known for his pioneering work in studying evolution digitally using self-replicating organisms called Avida.