Natalie Hofmeister

Biography

I am an evolutionary biologist, ecologist, and environmental historian with broad interests. I work primarily on invasive species like the European starling, where I ask questions like: how do birds evolve in response to changing environmental conditions? How do humans understand and relate to birds, especially invasive ones? Work in my lab uses genomic data, long-term ecological monitoring, and archival evidence to reconstruct how species spread and become invasive.

Education

• Ph.D. Cornell University, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (2022)
• M.A. Columbia University, Conservation Biology (2015)
• B.A. St. Olaf College, Biology, Minor in Women's and Gender Studies (2013)

Selected Publications

• Hofmeister, NR, KC Stuart, WC Warren, SJ Werner, M Bateson, GF Ball, KL Buchanan, DW Burt, APA Cardilini, P Cassey, T De Meyer, J.George, SL Meddle, HM Rowland, CDH Sherman, WB Sherwin, W Vanden Berghe, LA Rollins, and DF Clayton. 2025. Concurrent invasions by European starlings suggest selection on shared genomic regions even after genetic bottlenecks. Molecular Ecology doi: 10.1111/mec.17195.
  
• DeRaad, DA, ME Cobos, NR Hofmeister, LH DeCicco, MX Venkatraman, I Nishiumi, B McKay, F-S Zou, K Kawakami, C-H Kim, R-S Lin, C-T Yao, KL Garrett, SM Aguillon, JE McCormack, HL Mays Jr, AT Peterson, RG Moyle, and AJ Shultz. 2024. On the brink of explosion? Identifying the source and potential spread of introduced Zosterops white-eyes in North America. Biological Invasions 26:1615-1639.
  
• Stuart, KC*, NR Hofmeister*, LH Bodt, JM Zichello, LA Rollins. 2023. Global invasion history and native range decline of the Common Starling. Biological Invasions 25:1291-1316.
  
• Hofmeister, NR, SJ Werner, and IJ Lovette. 2021. Environmental correlates of genetic variation in the panmictic European starling in North America. Molecular Ecology 30(5):1251-63.
  
  

Courses Taught

• BIO116: Structure, Function, Cell and Molecular Biology
• BIO201: Human Anatomy
• BIO311: Vertebrate Zoology