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Ecology and Evolution
USA
2026

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Ecology and Evolution

D-Index
118
Citations
52756
World Ranking
112
National Ranking
44

Research.com Recognitions

  • 2026 - Research.com Ecology and Evolution in United States Leader Award
  • 2020 - ASM D.C. White Award, American Society for Microbiology
  • 2012 - Fellow of the Ecological Society of America (ESA)
  • 2006 - Member of the National Academy of Sciences
  • 2003 - Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
  • 1998 - Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
  • 1996 - Fellow of the MacArthur Foundation
  • 1991 - Fellow of John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation

Overview

Richard E. Lenski is affiliated with Michigan State University in the United States. Their research focuses broadly within the field of Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology, with specific attention to Genetics and Molecular Biology, alongside interests in Sociology and Political Science, Ecology, and Pharmacology.

Lenski's main research topics encompass Evolution and Genetic Dynamics, Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation, Genetic Diversity and Population Structure, Pharmacogenetics and Drug Metabolism, Gene Regulatory Network Analysis, CRISPR and Genetic Engineering, and Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies.

They have published extensively, contributing significantly to various academic venues. Frequent publication venues include:

  • bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
  • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
  • Microbiology
  • Science
  • Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)

Among recent papers authored or coauthored by Lenski are:

  • "The Surprising Creativity of Digital Evolution: A Collection of Anecdotes from the Evolutionary Computation and Artificial Life Research Communities" (2020, Artificial Life)
  • "Insertion-sequence-mediated mutations both promote and constrain evolvability during a long-term experiment with bacteria" (2021, Nature Communications)
  • "Genomic evolution of antibiotic resistance is contingent on genetic background following a long-term experiment with Escherichia coli" (2021, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)
  • "Changes in Cell Size and Shape during 50,000 Generations of Experimental Evolution with Escherichia coli" (2021, Journal of Bacteriology)
  • "Changing fitness effects of mutations through long-term bacterial evolution" (2024, Science)

Lenski has collaborated frequently with several researchers, including:

  • Jeffrey E. Barrick
  • Kyle J. Card
  • Nkrumah A. Grant
  • Olivier Tenaillon
  • Luis Zaman

In addition to their journal publications, Lenski has contributed to book publications, including a work published by Springer Nature titled Evolution in Action: Past, Present and Future (2020).

Lenski's academic recognitions include several fellowships and membership of distinguished scientific societies, such as:

  • ASM D.C. White Award, American Society for Microbiology (2020)
  • Fellow of the Ecological Society of America (ESA) (2012)
  • Member of the National Academy of Sciences (2006)
  • Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) (2003)
  • Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1998)
  • Fellow of the MacArthur Foundation (1996)
  • Fellow of John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation (1991)

Best Publications

  • Long-term experimental evolution in Escherichia coli. I. Adaptation and divergence during 2,000 generations.

    Richard E. Lenski;Michael R. Rose;Suzanne C. Simpson;Scott C. Tadler

  • Evolution experiments with microorganisms: the dynamics and genetic bases of adaptation.

    Santiago F. Elena;Richard E. Lenski

  • Genome evolution and adaptation in a long-term experiment with Escherichia coli

    Jeffrey E. Barrick;Dong Su Yu;Dong Su Yu;Sung Ho Yoon;Haeyoung Jeong

  • Dynamics of adaptation and diversification: a 10,000-generation experiment with bacterial populations

    Richard E. Lenski;Michael Travisano

  • The Black Queen Hypothesis: Evolution of Dependencies through Adaptive Gene Loss

    J. Jeffrey Morris;Richard E. Lenski;Erik R. Zinser

  • The fate of competing beneficial mutations in an asexual population

    Philip J. Gerrish;Richard E. Lenski

  • Does evolutionary theory need a rethink

    Kevin Laland;Tobias Uller;Marc Feldman;Kim Sterelny

  • Evolution of high mutation rates in experimental populations of E. coli

    Paul D. Sniegowski;Philip J. Gerrish;Richard E. Lenski

  • Historical contingency and the evolution of a key innovation in an experimental population of Escherichia coli

    Zachary D. Blount;Christina Z. Borland;Richard E. Lenski

  • Adaptive evolution of highly mutable loci in pathogenic bacteria.

    E.Richard Moxon;Paul B. Rainey;Martin A. Nowak;Richard E. Lenski

  • The evolutionary origin of complex features

    Richard E. Lenski;Charles Ofria;Robert T. Pennock;Christoph Adami

  • The Planned Introduction of Genetically Engineered Organisms: Ecological Considerations and Recommendations

    James M. Tiedje;Robert K. Colwell;Yaffa L. Grossman;Robert E. Hodson

  • The dynamics of molecular evolution over 60,000 generations

    Benjamin H. Good;Michael J. McDonald;Michael J. McDonald;Jeffrey E. Barrick;Richard E. Lenski

  • Evolution of digital organisms at high mutation rates leads to survival of the flattest

    Claus O. Wilke;Jia Lan Wang;Charles Ofria;Richard E. Lenski

  • Genome dynamics during experimental evolution.

    Jeffrey E. Barrick;Richard E. Lenski

  • Genomic analysis of a key innovation in an experimental Escherichia coli population.

    Zachary D. Blount;Jeffrey E. Barrick;Carla J. Davidson;Richard E. Lenski

  • Negative epistasis between beneficial mutations in an evolving bacterial population.

    Aisha I. Khan;Duy M. Dinh;Dominique Schneider;Dominique Schneider;Richard E. Lenski

  • Long-term dynamics of adaptation in asexual populations.

    Michael J. Wiser;Noah Ribeck;Richard E. Lenski

  • Linking genetic change to community evolution: insights from studies of bacteria and bacteriophage

    Brendan J M Bohannan;Richard E. Lenski

  • The population genetics of ecological specialization in evolving Escherichia coli populations

    Vaughn S. Cooper;Richard E. Lenski

Frequent Co-Authors

Jeffrey E. Barrick
Jeffrey E. Barrick The University of Texas at Austin
Jonathan B. Losos
Jonathan B. Losos Washington University in St. Louis
Charles Ofria
Charles Ofria Michigan State University
Albert F. Bennett
Albert F. Bennett University of California, Irvine
Santiago F. Elena
Santiago F. Elena Santa Fe Institute
Olivier Tenaillon
Olivier Tenaillon Université Paris Cité
Claus O. Wilke
Claus O. Wilke The University of Texas at Austin
Michael Travisano
Michael Travisano University of Minnesota
Margaret A. Riley
Margaret A. Riley University of Massachusetts Amherst
Claudine Médigue
Claudine Médigue University of Paris-Saclay

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