Kenneth M Halanych

Kenneth M. Halanych is the Executive Director at the Center for Marine Science, University of North Carolina Wilmington, where he also serves as a Professor in the Department of Biology and Marine Biology. Prior to UNCW, he was Professor in the Biological Sciences Department at Auburn University from 2003 to 2021, where he also served as the Curator of Marine Invertebrates at the Auburn University Museum of Natural History from 2014 to 2021. Additionally, he was a Scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution from 1998 to 2002, after holding postdoctoral positions at Rutgers University and University of Pretoria South Africa.

He has garnered over $10 million in external funding and has been supported by multiple funding agencies (especially NSF, NASA, NOAA) and has coauthored over 225 publications. Halanych's contributions to the field have been instrumental in advancing the understanding of marine invertebrate evolution and systematics and some of his ideas are regularly incorporated into introductory biology texts.

Education

Ph.D in Zoology, University of Texas
B.S. in Biology, Wake Forest University

Specialization in Teaching

Halanych has extensive teaching experience, particularly at Auburn University and Friday Harbor Laboratories (University of Washington). At Auburn University, he taught various undergraduate courses including Invertebrate Biodiversity, Marine Biology, and Evolution and Systematics. His graduate course offerings were more specialized in Advanced Invertebrate Evolution, Molecular Systematics, and workshops in Bioinformatics. He has also been a Visiting Instructor at Friday Harbor Laboratories on multiple occasions where he taught courses on Evolution and Development of Metazoans, and Deepsea Biology. These courses highlighted his dedication to hands-on, field-based education.

Research Interests

Halanych's research interests are primarily focused on marine invertebrate evolution. During the course of his career, his interests have included the evolutionary origins and relationships of major metazoan lineages, the evolution and adaptation of Antarctic fauna, and diversification of chemosynthetic fauna. He also has general interests in molecular systematics and phylogenetic theory. His work also extends to the evolutionary genomics of marine invertebrates, with an emphasis on population genomics and genome-scale phylogenetics.
Some of his most cited works focus on the relationships between major animal groups, with his more recent efforts turning to the use of functional genomics to understand animal evolution, especially in the Antarctic. He has explored the evolution of several gene families across the breadth of animal diversity.

His research program combines the use of genomic tools, organismal biology, and evolutionary theory while relying on field work to explore animal diversity.

Professional Service

In his service roles, Halanych has been the Editor-in-Chief of the Biological Bulletin since 2016 and has served on Editorial Boards for Systematic Biology, Marine Ecology, Marine Biology Research, BMC Evolutionary Biology, and Zoologica Scripta. He has undertaken in several officer roles within the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology. He has also been involved in various committees and initiatives, including the Gulf Research Initiative Research Board from 2010 to 2020, which was a funding initiative resulting from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.

Halanych has been involved in various educational outreach programs aimed at promoting science education among younger students and the general public. His dedication to teaching and mentorship has been recognized with several awards, reflecting his impact on students and the broader educational community.

Community Engagement

Halanych has participated in numerous interviews and public talks to share his research and insights with a broader audience. For instance, he has been interviewed by the Vanity Fair Magazine, Antarctic Sun, and local news outlets. He has also been involved in educational outreach, giving talks at local schools in Auburn, Alabama, such as Drake Middle School and Olgetree Elementary School, where he discussed topics like marine biology and Antarctic expeditions with students Additionally, Halanych has participated in events like AU Explore and the Auburn Museum of Natural History Open House, engaging with the public and sharing his knowledge on marine biology and related fields.
Halanych's outreach efforts extend to online platforms as well. He has maintained blogs and Twitter feeds related to his Antarctic research cruises, providing daily accounts of his research activities and findings. These efforts have helped to make his research more accessible and engaging to the public.

Honors & Awards

Halanych’s work has been recognized with numerous awards, including being elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2018. At Auburn University, he was honored with the Creative Research & Scholarship Award in 2017 and the College of Science and Mathematics Outstanding Researcher Award in 2009. Additionally, he held the Stewart W. Schneller Endowed Chair in COSAM from 2012 to 2021. In 2006, he also received an Alumni Professorship for excellence in research as well as the College of Science and Mathematics Outstanding Advisory Award. Several of his publications have received a "Highly-Cited" or "Top publication" designation.