Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology

Welcome Message from Chair Joel L. Sachs

Welcome to the Department of Evolution Ecology & Organismal Biology (EEOB) at the University of California, Riverside!

The EEOB department is responsible for instruction of the Biology major -- consistently among the largest majors on campus. We teach classes ranging from molecular and cellular biology, to ecology, evolution, and physiology of living organisms.

What is EEOB?

Our department conducts research, teaching, and service in many areas of the life sciences, including animal behavior, behavioral endocrinology, biomechanics, cell biology, conservation biology, ecology, ecomorphology, evolution, genetics, physiology, population biology, systematics, and theoretical ecology. Our graduate program is also named EEOB and offers Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees, with an emphasis on the latter. We are also part of the Evolutionary Biology Joint-Doctoral Program with San Diego State University. In addition, our faculty and graduate students are affiliated with several interdepartmental graduate programs, including: Biophysics; Cell, Molecular, and Developmental Biology; Genetics, Genomics, and Bioinformatics; Biomedical Sciences; and Neuroscience. We also offer many opportunities for undergraduate research.

Weekly Seminars

Department of Evolution, Ecology, & Organismal Biology Colloquium
see schedule at BIOL 252 Seminars
Thursdays at 4pm, Genomics Auditorium

Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology Graduate Program Seminar
see schedule at EEOB 265 Lunch Bunch
Fridays at noon, normally in 2200 Spieth Hall

Genetics, Genomics and Bioinformatics (GGB) Graduate Program Seminar
see schedule at BIOL/GGB 261
Wednesdays at 12pm

Neuroscience Seminar Series
see schedule at NRSC 287
Tuesdays at 4pm Genomics Auditorium

Graduate Program

The EEOB Graduate Program, part of the Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, offers graduate study leading to both M.S. and Ph.D. degrees. As a member of the program, you will have a unique and diverse set of educational experiences, including: a broad background in evolution, ecology, and organismal biology; exposure to exciting and modern research; training in pedagogy and the opportunity to teach undergraduate laboratories and discussion sections; and immersion in your specific area of concentration. These experiences will serve you well while in graduate school and also prepare you for a successful career in biology.

EEOB News

May 20, 2025

At the Heart of Conservation

Biologist Ellie Armstrong uses DNA — and dog photography — to save animals on the brink

May 20, 2025

The EEOB Program is proud to announce the PhD Defense of: April Arquilla!

The Graduate Program in EEOB is proud to announce the PhD Defense of: April Arquilla! Major Professor: Dr. Wendy Saltzman Title: " Parenthood-associated plasticity of sensory processing in the biparental California mouse ( Peromyscus californicus )" Date/Time: Friday June 6th...

April 02, 2025

THE JDEB Graduate Program is Proud to Announce the PH.D. Dissertation Defense of Tamsen Dunn

Major Professor: Dr. Arun Sethuraman Title: "New Computational Methods to Study Historical Allopolyploidization in Plants" Date/Time: Wednesday May 14th, 2025 at 1:00PM Location: Gold Auditorium, Donald P. Shiley BioScience Center & Zoom link: https://SDSU.zoom.us/j/82815590457

March 20, 2025

CNAS Science Lecture Series 2025

What is an organism, anyway?

March 17, 2025

UCR hosts inaugural Southern California Conference on Ecological Change

The UC Riverside departments of Evolution, Ecology & Organismal Biology, Botany and Plant Sciences, and Environmental Sciences hosted the inaugural Southern California Conference on Ecological Change on February 14.

March 11, 2025

Megalodon Might Have Been Longer and Skinnier Than Previously Thought, Growing Up to 80 Feet

SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE - Megalodons might have been longer and thinner than previously thought, according to a new study. The enormous, extinct sharks, scientists now say, grew to between 54 and 80 feet long and weighed about 94 tons. Earlier estimates...

March 10, 2025

Giant Megalodon super shark was actually more like a whale

METRO UK - Experts have said the prehistoric predator the Megaladon was a ‘sleeker’ creature than the one portrayed in the 2018 movie, where a beast akin to a great white shark wrought havoc in the ocean.