- Ph.D., University of California Davis, 2011
- A.B., Princeton University, 2005

Julia Saltz
Associate Professor, Biology
she/her

Associate Professor, Biology
she/her
Lab
Research
My lab studies the evolutionary genetics of animal behaviors. Studying the evolutionary genetics of behaviors is uniquely exciting and challenging because individuals’ behaviors are not only influenced by their own genes, but also by the genes of interacting individuals. To contribute to meeting these challenges, my lab uses ecologically-relevant behavioral analysis, quantitative genetics and genomics, and artificial evolution in a rigorous model system. Using tools available in flies (Drosophila melanogaster, and related species), we can replicate and manipulate individuals and entire social groups, within and among generations, to understand genotype-environment feedbacks in individual development, within social networks, and over generations. Our discoveries link genetic variation in preferences, experiences, and behaviors across the lifespan and over generations to produce an integrative understanding of behavior and its evolution.
Awards and Publications
Excellence in Undergraduate Mentoring Award – School of Natural Sciences, 2024
“Career Champion” award recognizing a significant contribution to a graduating senior’s professional development, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024
Nominated for Animal Behavior Society’s Outstanding New Investigator Award, 2018-2020