Hurlbert Lab

Macroecology and Biodiversity

"Ecological patterns, about which we construct theories, are only interesting if they are repeated. They may be repeated in space or in time, and they may be repeated from species to species. A pattern which has all of these kinds of repetition is of special interest because of its generality..."

--Robert MacArthur, 1968

I am not currently accepting new graduate students at this time. If you are an undergraduate interested in participating in research in the lab, please email me with a description of your interests and any previous research experience.


Allen Hurlbert, Principal Investigator

Allen Hurlbert
  • Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • Postdoctoral Fellow, NCEAS (2005 - 2008)
  • Ph.D., University of New Mexico (2005)
  • B.A., Amherst College (1994)

Allen is interested in large-scale patterns of abundance, distribution, and diversity, especially of birds and insects.


Ivara Goulden, PhD Candidate

Ivara Goulden
  • B.S., Tufts University (2021)

Ivara is interested in how climate and land cover change are impacting bird populations.


Nosa Osawe, PhD Student

Nosa Osawe
  • B.S., University of Benin (2023)

Nosa is amazed by broad scale statistical patterns of insect abundance and occurrence, as well as their associations with plants, and how these patterns are influenced by climate and landscape changes.


Join Us!

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This could be you! Read about current opportunities in the lab!


Lab Alumni

Undergraduates

  • Jamie-Lee Beckford
  • Lily Liang
  • Berling Joseph
  • Qiaowei Pan
  • Spencer Scheidt
  • Mary Wurzelmann
  • Michael Auriemma
  • Tracie Hayes
  • Tara McKinnon
  • Lauren Whitenack
  • Britney Brinson
  • Jericho Cook
  • Andrew Zachman
  • George Ni
  • Ellie Kremer
  • Colleen Whitener
  • Ellen Weaver
  • Mary Alex Beverly
  • Amelia Milano
  • Alexander Smith
  • Isabella Nieri

Postdocs

Graduate Students

  • Katie Becraft, MS
  • Jes Coyle, PhD, Professor at St. Mary's College of California
  • Brian Evans, PhD, Quantitative Ecologist at Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center
  • Molly Jenkins, MS, US Environmental Protection Agency
  • Sara Snell Taylor, PhD, Epidemiologist at Picnic Health
  • Indigo Edwards, MS, Land Stewardship Manager at Eno River Association
  • Grace Di Cecco, PhD, Lead Biodiveristy Data Scientist at NatureServe

Copyright © 2026 (Allen Hurlbert).