Melissa Plakke

I am currently an Assistant Professor of Evolutionary and Developmental Biology at Governors State University. I previously conducted a postdoc at the University of Kansas under the guidance of Dr. Jamie Walters and completed my PhD at the University of Pittsburgh in the Biological Sciences Department under the advisement of Dr. Nathan Clark (University of Utah, Human Genetics Department) and Dr. Nathan Morehouse (University of Cincinnati, Biological Sciences Department).​ I am broadly interested in how reproductive traits of males and females evolve in relation to each other, particularly under instances of conflict. I am further interested in how these co-evolutionary processes lead to divergence and potential speciation between populations.

While my research can apply broadly to any system, I use primarily Lepidopteran species such as the Cabbage White Butterfly, Monarch Butterflies, and the Domesticated Silk Moth. 

Governors State University
1 University Parkway, F1302
University Park, IL 60484