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Anshuman Swain, PI
Anshuman Swain, PI
Assistant Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; and
Assistant Curator, Museum of Paleontology
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The lab research focuses on using biological and paleontological data to understand the ecology and evolution of species interactions and distributions. Dr. Swain's work spans a wide variety of systems, with special focus on the paleoecology of plant-insect interactions and the planktonic foraminifera.
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Office: Room No. 3164, Biological Sciences Building, 1105 N University Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
Email: answain@umich.edu
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RJ Knecht
RJ Knecht
Postdoctoral Researcher
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RJ (Richard J.) Knecht's research focuses on terrestrial ecosystems, combining paleobiology, paleoecology, ichnology, and sedimentology to reconstruct fossil communities and evolutionary dynamics across time and space. He works with both exceptionally preserved specimens from Lagerstätten and more problematic fossil material, aiming to clarify the biology, behavior, and ecological roles of terrestrial organisms. His approach emphasizes interdisciplinary integration and the development and use of new and existing methods in imaging and analysis to improve the resolution and interpretation of complex fossil evidence. He is also a Research Associate of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University and a Research Associate of the Turkana Basin Institute in Kenya. He obtained his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 2025.
Léo Laborieux
Léo Laborieux
Incoming graduate student (Fall 2025) in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB)
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He has done a bit of everything. After graduating from Aix-Marseille Université in 2022, he joined the MEME program and attended courses at multiple European universities. As part of these rotations, he also joined ongoing research projects in various fields, ranging from the speciation genomics of weevils to behavior in Heliconius butterflies. In the meantime, he conducted independent research focusing on the taxonomy of Buthid scorpions and the biomechanics of venom spraying. In his words, he is very excited to join the Swain lab later this year, where he intends to curate and analyze large biodiversity datasets to investigate some of the macroevolutionary processes responsible for shaping the modern biosphere. Outside the lab, you might catch him hiking, shooting film, or playing fingerstyle guitar!
This could be you!
This could be you!
We are a new lab and are actively looking for people at all levels (undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral researchers) to come and work with us. If you are interested, please reach out directly to Prof. Swain (answain@umich.edu).
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