Basic Info

Frank T. Burbrink, Ph.D.

 Contact Information:

Frank T. Burbrink, Ph.D.

Department of Herpetology

American Museum of Natural History

Central Park West at 79th Street

New York, NY 10024-5192

Tel: 212-769-5862.

 

fburbrink@amnh.org

burbrink666@gmail.com

https://sites.google.com/view/frank-burbrink-website/

 

Primary appointment:

Curator

Frank T. Burbrink, Ph.D.

Department of Herpetology

American Museum of Natural History

Central Park West at 79th Street

New York, NY 10024-5192

 

Chair of Vertebrate Zoology

American Museum of Natural History

Central Park West at 79th Street

New York, NY 10024-5192


Additional appointments:

Faculty

Richard Gilder Graduate School

American Museum of Natural History

Central Park West at 79th Street

New York, NY 10024-5192


Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology

Columbia University

10th Floor Schermerhorn Ext

1200 Amsterdam Avenue

New York, NY 10027

 

Ecology, Evolution, and Behavioral Biology

Biology Program

The Graduate Center 

City University of New York

365 Fifth Avenue 

New York, NY 10016 USA


Professor Permanante

Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte

Centro de Biociências - DBEZ

Campus Universitário - Lagoa Nova

59078-900 - Natal, RN - Brasil 


Education:

Postdoc - Biology. Louisiana State University (May 2000)—Advisor: David Pollock

Ph.D. - Zoology Louisiana State University (May 2000) —Advisor: Jim McGuire

MS - Biology University of Illinois (Champaign-Urbana; August 1995) —Advisor: Chris             Phillips

BS - University of Illinois (Champaign-Urbana; May 1993)

 

Previous Appointments:

2010-2015: Chair of the Ecology, Evolutionary and Behavioral Doctoral Subprogram at the CUNY Graduate Center

2010-2015: Professor in the Biology Department, College of Staten Island/ City University of New York (CUNY)

2007-2009: Associate Professor in the Biology Department, College of Staten Island/ City University of New York (CUNY)

2002-2006: Assistant Professor in the Biology Department, College of Staten Island/ City University of New York (CUNY)


Research Interests:

1) Molecular systematics and statistical phylogenetics

2) Speciation and population genetics

4) Comparative evolutionary biology 

5) Historical Ecology

6) Evolutionary history and ecology of reptiles and amphibians

 

Scholarly Statistics (Google Scholar 18 September 2023):

h-index: 48

i10-index: 99

Number Citations: 11,685


 Current Doctoral Students

Leroy Nuñez - Phylogenomics, Ecological, and Morphological Evolution of Thamnophiini.

Dylan DeBaun - Deep Time Reticulation In Gemsnakes using Whole Genomes.

Briana Mims (co-advised with Chris Raxworthy) - Phylogenomics and evolution of arboreality in Neotropical snakes.

Daniela Garcia Cobos - Genomic and morphological adaptations in freshwater snakes.


Former Doctoral Students:

Arianna Kuhn. Comparative phylogeography of Malagasy gemsnakes. Finished 2021. Assistant Curator of Herpetology at the Virginia Museum of Natural History/

Edward Myers. Snake Community Divergence at North American Biogeographic Barriers.  Finished 2016. CurrentlyResearch Scientist at the California Academy of Sciences

Xin Chen. Adaptive radiation in ratsnakes. Finished 2014.

Sara Ruane (Ph.D. Student). Species tree relationships within milksnake (Lampropeltis triangulum). Finished 2012. Assistant Curator of Herpetology at the Field Museum of Natural History.

Tim Guiher (Ph.D. Student). Comparative molecular phylogeography and demography within New World venomous snakes of the genus Agkistrodon. Finished 2011. 

Alex Pyron (Ph.D. Student). Systematics and historical biogeography of lampropeltinine snakes. Finished 2010.  Assistant Professor at the George Washington University.

Frank Fontanella (Ph.D. Student). Phylogeography of the ringneck snake (Diadophis punctatus). Finished 2009. Associate Professor at the University of West Georgia. 


Former Master's Students:

Jamie Burgoon. 2012-2016. Speciation in Coluber contrictor at the Florida Peninsula and Continental US Connection.

Margaret O’Brien 2016-2017 (MS Student, Columbia, co-advised w/Nancy Simmons). Hibernation in bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) did not evolve through positive selection of leptin.