• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
College of Agriculture & Life Sciences
  • Home
    • Welcome to ECCB
    • Faculty and Staff
  • Degrees & Programs
    • Undergraduate
      • Bachelor of Science in Ecology & Conservation Biology
        • Ecology & Conservation Biology Track
        • Ecoinformatics Track
        • Forest Resources Track
        • Vertebrate Zoology Track (pre-vet option)
      • Minor in Ecology and Conservation Biology
      • ESSM Undergraduate Legacy Degrees
      • High Impact Opportunities
      • Undergraduate Financial Support
    • Graduate
      • Master of Science in Ecology and Conservation Biology
      • Ph.D. in Ecology and Conservation Biology
      • Graduate Admissions
      • Graduate Policies and Procedures
      • Graduate Financial Support
        • Graduate Teaching Assistant Application
      • Research Safety and Training
    • Course Guide
    • Advising
    • Student Organizations
      • American Fisheries Society
      • Society for Ecological Restoration
      • Texas A&M Chapter of Society of American Foresters
      • Society for Conservation Biology
      • ECCB Graduate Student Association
    • Student Support Resources
      • Health and Safety Resources
      • Academic and Professional Resources
  • Research
    • Biodiversity Research and Teaching Collections
    • S.M. Tracy Herbarium
    • Stable Isotopes for Biosphere Science Lab
  • Diversity and Equity
    • Meet Our Team
  • News
  • ECCB Store
  • Giving
  • Contact
Search

← All People

Light, Jessica E.

Jessica E. Light

Associate Professor and Curator of Mammals
Office:
WFES 268
Email:
jlight2@tamu.edu
Phone:
(979) 458-4357
Resume/CV
https://www.jessicalight.org/
Undergraduate Education
B.S. Biology, University of Michigan
M.S. Resource Ecology and Management, University of Michigan
Graduate Education
Ph.D. Zoology, Louisiana State University

Pronouns

she/her/hers

Professional Summary

Dr. Light is interested in evolution, systematics, and population genetics of vertebrates and invertebrates. In particular, her interests are in investigating cospeciation between mammals and their parasites to determine which factors are important in driving the associations between distantly related taxa. She also serves as the Faculty Curator of Mammals for the Biodiversity Teaching and Research Collections. 

Research Interests and Specializations

Evolutionary Biology, Mammalogy, Parasitology

The Light Lab

Research in the Light lab is focused broadly in evolutionary biology with a focus on systematics, population genetics, and coevolutionary associations between distantly related organisms, particularly mammals and their parasites. In general, our research relies on field work and Museum specimens, and we use molecular and morphological data from recently collected and ancient specimens to help elucidate broad evolutionary processes operating in distantly related taxa.

 

Recent Publications

Miller, S.E., L.N. Barrow, S.M. Ehlman, J.A. Goodheart, S.E. Greiman, H.L. Lutz, T.M. Misiewicz, S.M. Smith, M. Tan, C.J. Thawley, J.A. Cook, and J.E. Light. 2020. Building natural history collections for the 21st century and beyond. Bioscience 70: 674-687.

Cook, J.A. and J.E. Light. 2019. The emerging role of mammal collections in 21st century mammalogy. Journal of Mammalogy 100: 733-750.

Light, J.E, L. Siciliano-Martina*, E.G. Dohlanik**, G. Vielleux**, D.J. Hafner, A.M. Lawing, and I.F. Greenbaum. Morphological differentiation of Peromyscus leucopus and P. maniculatus in East Texas. Accepted at Therya.

Hinde, K., C.E.G. Amorim, A.F. Brokaw, N. Burt, M. Casillas, A. Chen, T. Chestnut, P.K. Connors, M. Dasari, C.F. Ditelberg, J. Dietrick, J. Drew, L. Durgavich, B. Easterling, C. Henning, A. Hilborn, E.K. Karlsson, M. Kissel, J. Kobylecky, J. Krell, D.N. Lee, K.M. Lesciotto, K.L. Lewton, J.E. Light, J. Martin, A. Murphy, W. Nickley, A. Núñez-de la Mora, O. Pellicer, V. Pellicer, A.M. Perry, S.G. Schuttler, A.C. Stone, B. Tanis, J. Weber, M. Wilson, E. Willcocks, and C.N. Anderson. 2021. March Mammal Madness and the power of narrative in science outreach. eLife 10:e65066 doi: 10.7554/eLife.65066.

Demastes, J.W., D.J. Hafner, M.S. Hafner, J.E. Light, and T.A. Spradling. 2019. Loss of genetic diversity, recovery, and allele surfing in a colonizing parasite, Geomydoecus aurei. Molecular Ecology 28:703-720.

**undergraduate student author; *graduate student author

More Information

  • About
  • Degrees & Programs
  • Facilities
  • Giving
  • Research
  • Opportunities
  • News & Events
  • Contact Us
Building #1537 - 534 John Kimbrough Blvd, College Station, TX 77843
(979-845-6295Contact Us

© 2022 Texas A&M University. All rights reserved.

  • Compact with Texans
  • Privacy and Security
  • Accessibility Policy
  • State Link Policy
  • Statewide Search
  • Veterans Benefits
  • Military Families
  • Risk, Fraud & Misconduct Hotline
  • Texas Homeland Security
  • Texas Veterans Portal
  • Equal Opportunity
  • Open Records/Public Information