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Breadcrumb

Portrait of Karen Kiemnec-Tyburczy
  • Biological Sciences

Karen Kiemnec-Tyburczy, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor - Cellular/ Molecular Biology & Zoology

Karen received her Bachelor's of Science and her Ph.D. from Oregon State University and spent several years doing research at Cornell University before joining the Humboldt faculty.

  • BS, Biology Oregon State University
  • PhD, Zoology Oregon State University
  • Postdoctoral Associate, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University
  • Evolution (BIOL307)
  • Genetics (BIOL340/BIOL340L)
  • Molecular Genetics Lab (BIOL440)
  • Principle of Animal Development (ZOOL476)
  • Becoming a STEM scientist (SCI 100)

I focus on the evolution of natural vertebrate populations. In particular, I am interested in amphibians, an early-diverging tetrapod lineage that provides tractable systems for investigating evolutionary questions across multiple scales, from genes to development to behavior.

View Karen's research page

  • Westphal, M., E. Nix, E. Gruber, and K. M. Kiemnec-Tyburczy. 2021. Taricha granulosa (Rough-skinned newt). Overwintering of larvae and larval diet. Herpetological Review 52: 820
  • Staub, N. L., A. B. Stiller and K. M. Kiemnec-Tyburczy. 2020. A new perspective on female-to-male communication in salamander courtship. Integrative and Comparative Biology 60: 722-731.
  • Kiemnec-Tyburczy, K. M., K. E. Tracy, K. R. Lips and K. R. Zamudio. 2018. Genetic variation and selection of MHC class I loci differ in two congeneric frogs. Genetica 146: 125-136
  • Arnold, S. J., K. M. Kiemnec-Tyburczy, and L. D. Houck. 2017. The evolution of courtship behavior in plethodontid salamanders, contrasting patterns of stasis and diversification. Herpetologica 73: 190-205
  • Kiemnec-Tyburczy, K. M. and J. R. Sapp. 2017. Courtship behaviors of two salamander congeners and the evolution of a novel courtship behavior in the genus Aneides. Herpetological Review 48: 6-10
  • Tracy, K.E., K.M. Kiemnec-Tyburczy, J.A. DeWoody, G. Parra-Olea and K.R. Zamudio. 2015. Positive selection drives the evolution of a major histocompatibility complex gene in an endangered Mexican salamander species complex. Immunogenetics 67: 323-335.
  • Savage, A.E., K.M. Kiemnec-Tyburczy, A.R. Ellison, R.C. Fleischer and K.R. Zamudio. 2014. Conservation and divergence in the frog immunome: pyrosequencing and de novo assembly of immune tissue transcriptomes. Gene 542: 98-108.

Graduate students

Emily Gremling (co-advised with John Reiss), Giusy (Sun) Lanzilli (co-advised with John Reiss), Stacie Nunes (co-advised with Sharyn Marks), Marilyn Sandoval, Luisa Segovia