Trudy Mackay Wins Darwin-Wallace Medal for Excellence in Evolutionary Biology

Trudy Mackay, the Self Family Endowed Chair of Human Genetics at Clemson University in South Carolina, has been awarded the Darwin-Wallace Medal from the Linnean Society of London. The annual award, considered one of the field’s top international prizes, honors outstanding research in evolutionary biology.

Dr. Mackay’s research aims to understand the genetic and environmental factors affecting variation in quantitative traits, using the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster as a translational model system. Her work has advanced research on how to predict adaptive evolutionary responses to changing environments, understand and predict human health and disease, and precisely breed domestic animals and crops.

At Clemson, Dr. Mackay serves as the director of the Center for Human Genetics and a professor of genetics and biochemistry. Before joining the Clemson faculty, she taught at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and North Carolina State University. She is an elected member of several prestigious professional organizations, including the National Academy of Medicine, the National Academy of Science, the International Engineering and Technology Institute, and the American Philosophical Society.

Dr. Mackay received her bachelor’s degree in biology and her master’s degree in genetics from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She holds a Ph.D. in genetics from the University of Edinburgh.

Related Articles

Latest News

Data Shows High Attrition Rates for Women in STEM Degree Programs

For women who began their four-year college career in a STEM discipline, 14 percent dropped out of college and 32 percent switched to a non-STEM major before earning their degree.

Monique Guillory Named Ninth President of Dillard University

Dr. Guillory has served as Dillard University's interim president for the past seven months. Her background includes over three decades of higher education administration experience.

Lynne Coy-Organ Is the First Woman President of Husson University

Lynne Coy-Organ has been named the first woman president of Husson University in Maine. She has served as the university's provost and senior vice president for academic affairs for the past 15 years.

Donna Hedgepath Will Be the First Woman President of Wayland Baptist University

Current provost of Campbellsville University in Kentucky, Donna Hedgepath, has been named president of Wayland Baptist University in Texas, making her the first woman to be selected for the position.

Three Women Scholars Appointed to Provost Positions

The new provosts are Elizabeth Dumont at the University of California, Merced, Marguerite Giguette at Xavier University in New Orleans, and Margaret Brown Marsden at Midwestern State University in Texas.

Acquisitions Librarian

The Acquisitions Librarian responsibilities have an emphasis on one-time, profile-based and approval plan acquisitions that support the general collection, Special Collections and Area Studies.

Collections Strategist

We seek a dynamic, growth-oriented, and values-driven leader to provide strategic direction and vision for University Libraries’ licensed and purchased collections in a rapidly evolving scholarly communication environment.

Vice President of Programs

The HERS Vice President of Programs will lead the Programs Team in the design, implementation, management, supervision, and evaluation of programs consistent with the HERS mission, vision, values, and strategic priorities.

Assistant, Associate or Full Professor, Public Health Data Science and Data Equity

The School of Public Health at Yale University (YSPH) is seeking applicants at the rank of Assistant, Associate or Full Professor on the Tenure Track for the new schoolwide Public Health Data Science and Data Equity Initiative.

Associate Dean and Director of the Law Library

The University of California, Irvine School of Law invites applications for the Law Librarian (Director of the Law Library). We seek a visionary and accomplished library administrator with a demonstrated record as a leader managing a world-class law library.