Corrie S. Moreau is an evolutionary biologist and

entomologist Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as arach ...

with a specialty in

myrmecology Myrmecology (; from Greek: μύρμηξ, ''myrmex'', "ant" and λόγος, ''logos'', "study") is a branch of entomology focusing on the scientific study of ants. Some early myrmecologists considered ant society as the ideal form of society and ...

, the study of ants. She is currently a

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...

and

curator A curator (from la, cura, meaning "to take care") is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the parti ...

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

Ithaca, New York Ithaca is a city in the Finger Lakes region of New York, United States. Situated on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake, Ithaca is the seat of Tompkins County and the largest community in the Ithaca metropolitan statistical area. It is named a ...

. Moreau studies the

evolution Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...

ecology Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps wi ...

biogeography Biogeography is the study of the distribution of species and ecosystems in geographic space and through geological time. Organisms and biological communities often vary in a regular fashion along geographic gradients of latitude, elevation, ...

systematics Biological systematics is the study of the diversification of living forms, both past and present, and the relationships among living things through time. Relationships are visualized as evolutionary trees (synonyms: cladograms, phylogenetic tre ...

, and diversification of insects and their microbial gut-symbionts using molecular and genomic tools. She has also been an advocate for increasing women and diversity in the sciences.

Education

Moreau received a PhD in biology from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

(2003 – 2007) under the guidance of E. O. Wilson and

Naomi Pierce Naomi E. Pierce (born 1954) is the Hessel Professor of Biology at Harvard University and a world authority on butterflies. Pierce is the university's Curator of Lepidoptera, a position once held by Vladimir Nabokov. Pierce was a Fulbright Post ...

. She received a MSc from

San Francisco State University San Francisco State University (commonly referred to as San Francisco State, SF State and SFSU) is a public research university in San Francisco. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers 118 different b ...

and the

California Academy of Science The California Academy of Sciences is a research institute and natural history museum in San Francisco, California, that is among the largest museums of natural history in the world, housing over 46 million specimens. The Academy began in 1853 ...

s (2000 – 2003) and a Bachelors (1996 – 2000) from

Career

After completing her Ph.D. in 2007 Corrie Moreau was selected as a Miller Research Fellows of the Miller Institute at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

. In 2008 she became an assistant curator at the

Field Museum of Natural History The Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH), also known as The Field Museum, is a natural history museum in Chicago, Illinois, and is one of the largest such museums in the world. The museum is popular for the size and quality of its educational ...

where she stayed for 10 years being promoted to associate curator in 2014. In 2019 Moreau moved to

as full professor and director and curator of the Cornell University Insect Collection (CUIC).

Research

Moreau and colleagues were the first to establish the origin of the ants at 140 million years ago using molecular sequence data (40 million years older than previous estimates), and that the diversification of the ants coincided with the rise of the

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s (angiosperms). In addition, Moreau and Charles D. Bell showed that the tropics have been and continue to be important for the evolution of the ants. Moreau and colleagues have demonstrated the importance of gut-associated bacteria in the evolutionary and ecological success of ants through targeted bacterial and microbiome sequencing, including showing that bacterial gut symbionts are tightly linked with the evolution of herbivory in ants.

Awards and recognition

In 2021 elected a Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society. In 2020 elected a Fellow of the

Entomological Society of America The Entomological Society of America (ESA) was founded in 1889 and today has more than 7,000 members, including educators, extension personnel, consultants, students, researchers, and scientists from agricultural departments, health agencies, ...

. In 2018 elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.here AAAS Honors Accomplished Scientists as 2018 Elected Fellows
/ref> In 2018 featured by National Geographic as a Women of Impact. In 2016 selected as a Kavli Fellow of the

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nati ...

. In 2015 Moreau was included in "15 Brilliant Women Bridging the Gender Gap in Science" and in 2014 listed as "10 Women Scientists You Should Follow on Twitter". In 2014 selected as a National Geographic Explorer – National Geographic Society. Moreau was elected a Miller Fellow of the Miller Institute at the

(2007 – 2008). She received two "Excellence and Distinction in Teaching Awards" from Harvard University's Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning (2004 & 2006). Moreau was featured in Chapter 13 of

Edward O. Wilson Edward Osborne Wilson (June 10, 1929 – December 26, 2021) was an American biologist, naturalist, entomologist and writer. According to David Attenborough, Wilson was the world's leading expert in his specialty of myrmecology, the study of ...

's 2013 book "Letters to a Young Scientist." Wilson writes "There was no bravado in Corrie, no trace of overweening pride, no pretension." Wilson goes on to state "The story of Corrie Saux Moreau's ambitious undertaking is one I feel especially important to bring to you. It suggest that courage in science born of self-confidence (without arrogance!), a willingness to take a risk but with resilience, a lack of fear of authority, a set of mind that prepares you to take a new direction if thwarted, are of great value – win or lose."

Personal life

Moreau was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. Moreau is married to French chemist, Christophe Duplais. She was the subject of a museum exhibit and

graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...

,"The Romance of Ants"

Selected publications

* * * * * *

References

External links

The Moreau Lab
*
Video Interviews with Corrie Moreau
on YouTube * {{DEFAULTSORT:Moreau, Corrie Year of birth missing (living people) American entomologists Myrmecologists American women biologists Women evolutionary biologists Women entomologists American women academics Living people Scientists from New Orleans People associated with the Field Museum of Natural History San Francisco State University alumni Harvard University alumni University of California, Berkeley fellows Fellows of the Ecological Society of America Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Cornell University faculty 21st-century American women