World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!

D-Index & Metrics

Ecology and Evolution

D-Index
51
Citations
11483
World Ranking
3608
National Ranking
1261

Research.com Recognitions

  • 2019 - Fellow of John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation

Overview

Todd H. Oakley is affiliated with the University of California, Santa Barbara in the United States. Their research spans multiple disciplines within life sciences, with a primary focus on Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology, and Neuroscience. Oakley's work often intersects with subfields including Molecular Biology, Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, and Paleontology.

Their scholarly output includes numerous publications across respected venues. Oakley has a significant presence in bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), with 10 publications, and has contributed to Integrative and Comparative Biology and Preprints.org, each with three publications. Other frequent publication venues include Ecology and Evolution and Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, with two publications in each.

Oakley's research explores a range of topics, frequently addressing Photoreceptor and Optogenetics Research and Bioluminescence and Chemiluminescence Research. Their studies also cover Marine Invertebrate Physiology and Ecology, Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research, Marine Ecology and Invasive Species, Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies, and Animal Behavior and Reproduction.

Recent notable papers by Oakley include:

  • "Multi-level convergence of complex traits and the evolution of bioluminescence" (2020) published in Biological Reviews/Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society
  • "Selection, drift, and constraint in cypridinid luciferases and the diversification of bioluminescent signals in sea fireflies" (2020) published in Molecular Ecology
  • "Light modulated cnidocyte discharge predates the origins of eyes in Cnidaria" (2021) published in Ecology and Evolution
  • "Deep Diversity: Extensive Variation in the Components of Complex Visual Systems across Animals" (2022) published in Cells
  • "A morphological basis for path-dependent evolution of visual systems" (2024) published in Science

Throughout their career, Oakley has frequently collaborated with several coauthors, including Nicholai M. Hensley, Jessica A. Goodheart, Emily S. Lau, Trevor J. Rivers, and Gretchen A. Gerrish.

Oakley is also an author of academic books, with at least one publication by Berghahn Books. Their book titled "Rhetorical Minds" was published in 2022.

Their professional recognition includes being named a Fellow of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation in 2019.

Best Publications

  • The ecoresponsive genome of Daphnia pulex

    John K. Colbourne;Michael E. Pfrender;Michael E. Pfrender;Donald Gilbert;W. Kelley Thomas

  • The Amphimedon queenslandica genome and the evolution of animal complexity

    Mansi Srivastava;Oleg Simakov;Oleg Simakov;Jarrod Chapman;Bryony Fahey

  • Using Phylogenetic, Functional and Trait Diversity to Understand Patterns of Plant Community Productivity

    Marc W. Cadotte;Jeannine M Cavender-Bares;David Tilman;Todd H. Oakley

  • Evolutionary history and the effect of biodiversity on plant productivity

    Marc W. Cadotte;Bradley J. Cardinale;Todd H. Oakley

  • Reconstructing ancestral character states: a critical reappraisal

    Clifford W. Cunningham;Kevin E. Omland;Todd H. Oakley

  • Phylogenetic diversity metrics for ecological communities: integrating species richness, abundance and evolutionary history

    Marc W. Cadotte;T. Jonathan Davies;James Regetz;Steven W. Kembel;Steven W. Kembel

  • A Post-Synaptic Scaffold at the Origin of the Animal Kingdom

    Onur Sakarya;Kathryn A. Armstrong;Maja Adamska;Marcin Adamski

  • Phylotranscriptomics to Bring the Understudied into the Fold: Monophyletic Ostracoda, Fossil Placement, and Pancrustacean Phylogeny

    Todd H. Oakley;Joanna M. Wolfe;Annie R. Lindgren;Annie R. Lindgren;Alexander K. Zaharoff

  • Experimental evidence that evolutionary relatedness does not affect the ecological mechanisms of coexistence in freshwater green algae

    Anita Narwani;Markos A. Alexandrou;Todd H. Oakley;Ian T. Carroll

  • Independent contrasts succeed where ancestor reconstruction fails in a known bacteriophage phylogeny.

    Todd H. Oakley;Clifford W. Cunningham

  • Species richness, but not phylogenetic diversity, influences community biomass production and temporal stability in a re-examination of 16 grassland biodiversity studies

    Patrick Venail;Patrick Venail;Kevin Gross;Todd H. Oakley;Anita Narwani;Anita Narwani

  • Molecular phylogenetic evidence for the independent evolutionary origin of an arthropod compound eye

    Todd H. Oakley;Clifford W. Cunningham

  • Phylogeny of salmonine fishes based on growth hormone introns: Atlantic (Salmo) and Pacific (Oncorhynchus) salmon are not sister taxa.

    Todd H. Oakley;Ruth B. Phillips

  • Symbiotic organs shaped by distinct modes of genome evolution in cephalopods.

    Mahdi Belcaid;Giorgio Casaburi;Sarah J McAnulty;Hannah Schmidbaur

  • The origins of novel protein interactions during animal opsin evolution.

    David C. Plachetzki;Bernard M. Degnan;Todd H. Oakley

  • Molecular clocks indicate turnover and diversification of modern coleoid cephalopods during the Mesozoic marine revolution

    Alastair R. Tanner;Dirk Fuchs;Inger E. Winkelmann;M. Thomas P. Gilbert;M. Thomas P. Gilbert;M. Thomas P. Gilbert

  • A multi-gene phylogeny of Cephalopoda supports convergent morphological evolution in association with multiple habitat shifts in the marine environment.

    Annie R Lindgren;Annie R Lindgren;Molly S Pankey;Frederick G Hochberg;Todd H Oakley

  • The Last Common Ancestor of Most Bilaterian Animals Possessed at Least Nine Opsins.

    M Desmond Ramirez;Autum N Pairett;M Sabrina Pankey;Jeanne M Serb

  • Molecular Evolution of Bat Color Vision Genes

    Daryi Wang;Todd Oakley;Jeffrey Mower;Lawrence C. Shimmin

  • Eye-independent, light-activated chromatophore expansion (LACE) and expression of phototransduction genes in the skin of Octopus bimaculoides.

    M. Desmond Ramirez;Todd H. Oakley

  • Evidence for light perception in a bioluminescent organ.

    Deyan Tong;Natalia S. Rozas;Todd H. Oakley;Jane Mitchell

Frequent Co-Authors

Bradley J. Cardinale
Bradley J. Cardinale Pennsylvania State University
Ruth B. Phillips
Ruth B. Phillips Washington State University Vancouver
David Tilman
David Tilman University of Minnesota
Daniel S. Rokhsar
Daniel S. Rokhsar University of California, Berkeley
Marc W. Cadotte
Marc W. Cadotte University of Toronto
Bernard M. Degnan
Bernard M. Degnan University of Queensland
Kenneth S. Kosik
Kenneth S. Kosik University of California, Santa Barbara
Margaret J. McFall-Ngai
Margaret J. McFall-Ngai University of Hawaii at Manoa
Peter B. Reich
Peter B. Reich University of Minnesota
Thomas W. Cronin
Thomas W. Cronin University of Maryland, Baltimore County

If you think any of the details on this page are incorrect, let us know.

Report an issue

We appreciate your kind effort to assist us to improve this page, it would be helpful providing us with as much detail as possible in the text box below:

Related Online Degrees & Career Pathways

Exploring Ecology and Evolution opens doors to a variety of interdisciplinary career pathways, many of which benefit from a strong foundation in related online degrees. For example, understanding human behavior and decision-making can enhance environmental policy development. Those interested in intersecting human and ecological systems may find it valuable to investigate what can you do with a masters in forensic psychology.

Professionals focusing on younger populations—such as ecological education or community outreach—might consider an online child psychology degree to build expertise in child and adolescent behavior. Similarly, skills in counseling are highly relevant for those facilitating environmental change within communities, and an online masters degrees in counseling provides a flexible option for advanced study.

Finally, understanding the connection between well-being and the environment can be deepened through clinical psychology programs online. These degrees can complement ecological study by preparing professionals to address mental health issues linked to environmental challenges. By combining ecological knowledge with expertise in psychology or counseling, students can pursue impactful careers at the intersection of environmental and human health.

Best Scientists Citing Todd H. Oakley

Trending Scientists

Recently Published Articles