Judith Elizabeth Mank is an American-British zoologist who is a Canada 150 Chair at the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks among the top thre ...

. She studies how evolution produces variation in animals. She is interested in sexual dimorphism and the formation of sex chromosomes.

Early life and education

Mank studied anthropology at the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

. She moved to Pennsylvania State University for graduate studies, joining the School of Forest Resources. After completing her master's degree she moved to the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

for doctoral research. Her research considered reproductive diversity in fish.

Research and career

Following her postdoctoral work at

Uppsala University Uppsala University ( sv, Uppsala universitet) is a public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation. The university rose to significance during ...

, Mank was a lecturer at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

from 2008-2012, and then professor at

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

from 2012-2018. She joined the faculty at the

in 2018 as a professor and Canada 150 Chair. Her research includes the evolution of sex chromosomes and the genetics underlying sex differences. Her work has revealed fundamental properties of the earliest stages of Y chromosomes formation. Mank makes use of genomic data to understand how ecological factors effect genome evolution, and how sex differences are encoded within the genome. She has studied the genetics of female mate preference in guppies, and how this affects the diversity and genetics of pigmentation in males.

Awards and honors

* 2008

American Society of Naturalists The American Society of Naturalists was founded in 1883 and is one of the oldest professional societies dedicated to the biological sciences in North America. The purpose of the Society is "to advance and diffuse knowledge of organic evolution and o ...

Young Investigator Award * 2009

Society for the Study of Evolution The Society for the Study of Evolution is a professional organization of evolutionary biologists. It was formed in the United States in 1946 to promote evolution and the integration of various fields of science concerned with evolution and to organ ...

Dobzhansky Prize * 2013 Berlin Institute for Advanced Study Fellow * 2013

Zoological Society of London The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is a charity devoted to the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats. It was founded in 1826. Since 1828, it has maintained the London Zoo, and since 1931 Whipsnade Park. History On 29 ...

Scientific Medal * 2016 Royal Society Wolfson Fellowship * 2020

Honorary Doctorate

Selected publications

* * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mank, Judith Living people University of Georgia alumni University of Florida alumni Pennsylvania State University alumni Academic staff of the University of British Columbia American zoologists American women scientists 1976 births