EMAIL:       tobin dot hammer at utexas dot edu


​ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION OF microbiomes

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​Welcome! I study the ways in which macro- and micro-organisms interact, and how those interactions evolved. I mostly work on the microbiomes of insects—often with an eye towards helping manage and conserve these small, but collectively mighty, beasts.

Insects can also tell us a lot about symbiotic relationships between microbes and other macro-organisms, including humans. A few of the kinds of ecological and evolutionary puzzles I try to solve are:
  • ​​Where do symbioses come from?
  • How do they work—what does each partner get out of it?
  • Why do they sometimes break down?

If those or related questions are interesting to you, please check out the Current Research page or my publications, and don't hesitate to email me (tobin dot hammer at utexas dot edu)! I am currently a postdoc in the Moran lab at UT Austin, but will be starting as an Assistant Professor in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department at UC Irvine in January 2022. The Hammer Lab will be looking for new bug and/or microbe enthusiasts, so please stay tuned for an official announcement later in 2021!