Amy Reed McCune

Amy Reed McCune is an American ecologist and evolutionary biologist. She is a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at Cornell University. McCune specializes in the history of life through the study of fish. McCune’s research examines a variety of fish taxa, from ancient lineages such as lungfishes, sturgeons, and gars to modern fish. Studying groups such as zebrafish, cichlids, and pupfishes, addressing why certain species have certain traits. Her lab focuses on evolution, using methodologies including paleobiology, phylogenetics, genetics, and morphologyne was appointed Senior Associate Dean of the Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in 2017. Contributing to departmental governance and broader institutional planning. In 2017, McCune was appointed Senior Associate Dean of the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology department. McCune is also a Faculty Curator of Ichthyology at the Cornell Museum of Vertebrates.

Career McCune became an assistant professor at Cornell University in 1983. McCune served as the chair of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from 2011 to 2017.

Selected publications

Notable Contributions

Studies on rapid speciation in Mesozoic semionotoid fishes, genetic networks underlying phenotypic evolution, and developmental changes in jaw morphology. Her work has been published in high-impact journals advancing the understanding of fish evolution and broader evolutionary principles.

Awards and honors

NSF grant for the Cornell University Museum of Vertebrates (2006–2008). NSF grant for the Cornell University Museum of Vertebrates (2002–2004).