OU professor honored for contributions in the field of zoology

A University of Oklahoma behavioral biologist is one of only a small number of scientists to be named a recipient of a Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Germany. The Foundation grants up to 25 awards annually to scientists and scholars internationally noted in their field.

Ingo Schlupp, associate professor in the OU Department of Zoology, ranks as one of the top 20 most cited behavioral biologists from a German-speaking country. He received the $65,000 award for his outstanding research record and contributions in the field of evolutionary biology, with a special focus on animal behavior. Schlupp will spend one year at the University of Potsdam in Germany beginning August 2011, where he will work on genomics of a unisexual fish, the Amazon molly.

Among the things of interest to Schlupp is how sexual reproduction is maintained. The problem is tackled at several levels, including molecular biology, animal behavior and ecology. Consequently, he uses a broad array of research methods to study live-bearing fishes, but his research is not limited to just that species.

Only scientists and scholars who completed their doctorates less than 18 years ago and who in the future are expected to continue producing cutting-edge achievements that will have a seminal influence on their discipline beyond their immediate field of work, are eligible for this award.

Provided by University of Oklahoma