Exploring the rules of life through a metabolic lens
Welcome to the Burger lab in the Department of Biology at the University of Kentucky.
Prospective graduate students:
Eligible students are encouraged to apply for a National Science Foundation's Graduate Research Fellowship if eligible (NSF - GRFP; deadline Nov).
Prospective postdocs interested in the lab are encouraged to contact me about proposals for a University of Kentucky Postdoctoral Fellowships (deadline Nov) and/or
NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biology (deadline Nov).
"the struggle for existence is a struggle for free energy.”
- physicists Ludwig Boltzmann (1886)
“In the struggle for existence, the advantage must go to those organisms whose energy-capturing devices are most efficient in directing available energies into channels favorable to the preservation of the species."
- theoretical biologist Alfred Lotka (1926)
I am trained as an evolutionary ecologist, interdisciplinary scientist and macroecologist. My research uses metabolic scaling theory to motivate hypotheses that can be evaluated with field studies and/or the compilation and analysis of large-scale datasets. My teaching and research aim to: i) uncover the fundamental principles and general rules that govern biodiversity (in particular vertebrates), and ii) to use these "macroecological laws” as a framework to address practical issues in biodiversity conservation and human and ecosystem health, equity and sustainability.
Check out my research and publications for more about what I study.
Robbie Burger (he/him)
Assistant Professor
Department of Biology
University of Kentucky
Lexington, KY
View of high elevation Spruce-Fir 'sky island' forest in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Professional Appointments
(2021-present) Assistant Professor of Biology - University of Kentucky
(2022-2027) Scientific Advisory Team - Macrosystems Ecology For All (MEFA), National Science Foundation, Research Coordination Network
(2019-2021) Postdoctoral Fellow - Bridging Biodiversity & Conservation Science, University of Arizona
(2018-2019) Postdoctoral Research Associate - Depts. of Biology & Evolutionary Anthropology; Population Research Institute, Duke University
(2015-2017) Carolina Postdoctoral Fellow for Faculty Diversity - UNC-Chapel Hill
Education
(2015) Ph.D. Biology - University of New Mexico
(2010) M.S. Biology - University of Louisiana at Monroe
(2006) B.A. Economics and International Studies - Francis Marion University
We value diverse perspectives to modern socio-biological problems and welcome scholars traditionally underrepresented in ecology and evolutionary biology.
Interactions among individuals with diverse experiences and backgrounds enhances the creative process, leading to new ways of thinking and solving big problems in science and society.
The Burger lab aims to mentor and amplify diverse voices in science and society. See our Diversity page.
For more about How Diversity Makes us Smarter, see this Scientific American article by K. W. Phillips and recent 'Diversity-innovation paradox' paper in PNAS.