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Howard Associate Professor of Natural History and Curator Of INGI AGNARSSON PH.D. Howard Associate Professor of Natural History and Curator of Invertebrates, Department of Biology, University of Vermont, 109 Carrigan Drive, Burlington, VT 05405-0086 E-mail: [email protected]; Web: http://theridiidae.com/ and http://www.islandbiogeography.org/; Phone: (+1) 802-656-0460 CURRICULUM VITAE SUMMARY PhD: 2004. #Pubs: 138. G-Scholar-H: 42; i10: 103; citations: 6173. New species: 74. Grants: >$2,500,000. PERSONAL Born: Reykjavík, Iceland, 11 January 1971 Citizenship: Icelandic Languages: (speak/read) – Icelandic, English, Spanish; (read) – Danish; (basic) – German PREPARATION University of Akron, Akron, 2007-2008, Postdoctoral researcher. University of British Columbia, Vancouver, 2005-2007, Postdoctoral researcher. George Washington University, Washington DC, 1998-2004, Ph.D. The University of Iceland, Reykjavík, 1992-1995, B.Sc. PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS University of Vermont, Burlington. 2016-present, Associate Professor. University of Vermont, Burlington, 2012-2016, Assistant Professor. University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras, 2008-2012, Assistant Professor. National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC, 2004-2007, 2010- present. Research Associate. Hubei University, Wuhan, China. Adjunct Professor. 2016-present. Icelandic Institute of Natural History, Reykjavík, 1995-1998. Researcher (Icelandic invertebrates). Institute of Biology, University of Iceland, Reykjavík, 1993-1994. Research Assistant (rocky shore ecology). GRANTS Institute of Museum and Library Services (MA-30-19-0642-19), 2019-2021, co-PI ($222,010). Museums for America Award for infrastructure and staff salaries. National Geographic Society (WW-203R-17), 2017-2020, PI ($30,000). Caribbean Caves as biodiversity drivers and natural units for conservation. National Science Foundation (IOS-1656460), 2017-2021: one of four PIs (total award $903,385 thereof $128,259 to UVM). Collaborative Research: Comparative analyses of structural designs underlying functional performance of the toughest spider silk. UVM Small Grants Research Award. 2016, PI ($3,000). Diversification in Caribbean caves. Smithsonian Institution Biogenomics/Global Genome Initiative Grant Program. 2015, one of three co-PIs with PI Coddington ($20,000). Anchored enrichment phylogeny of spiders based on diverse genome quality tissue sampling. National Science Foundation (DBI-1349205), 2014-2017: co-PI, ($471,072), “CSBR: Natural History: Launching the University of Vermont Natural History Museum Step One: Securing the Collections“ (with PI D. Barrington and co-PI C.W. Kilpatrick). ARRS-Slovenian Research Agency, 2015-2016, co-PI on Bilateral grant Slovenia-USA, with M. Kuntner: “Biology of spiders in the phylogenomic era” (3,500€) Smithsonian Institution 2013 SI Barcode Network, 2013-2019, PI with Jonathan A. Coddington, ($20,000): Barcoding a Mega-diverse Group in a Biodiversity Hotspot – Diversity and Biogeography of Arachnids in the Caribbean. National Science Foundation (DEB-1050187-1050253), 2011-2016, PI, ($833,000). “Collaborative Research: the generation of a biodiversity hotspot - paleobiogeography of the Caribbean inferred from multiple arachnid lineages with differing dispersal abilities” (with PI G. Binford and co-PI P. Selden). The grant originally based at UPR (1050187) was transferred to UVM in 2012, at the remaining amount of $543,632 and designated the new grant number DEB-1314749. National Geographic Society Global Exploration Fund (GEFNE29-11), 2011-2013, PI ($21,100): “Islands on islands: biogeography of spider web parasites and their hosts in the Indian Ocean” National Geographic Society Committee for Research and Exploration (8655-09), 2008-2010, PI, ($23,750): “Casting spider webs across Malagasy rivers: extraordinary silk in giant orb webs” Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS 207-26), collaborator on a postdoctoral grant, PI Helen Smith (198.000AUD), current. Slovenian Research Agency (ARRS Z1-9799-0618-07) PI - research fellowship (~140.000$), 2007- 2009. Killam Postdoctoral Fellowship (~85.000$), PI, University of British Colombia, 2004-2006. The Biodiversity of the Guianas, 2005, (8.000$, with J. Coddington, J. Miller, and M. Kuntner), for fieldwork in French Guiana Smithsonian Small Grants Program, 2005, (4.000$, with J. Coddington, J. Miller, and M. Kuntner), for fieldwork in French Guiana Fulbright Student Grant for Foreign Students (IIE 159 85610; 12.000$), 1998-2003. Doctoral fellowship, 1998-2004, funded by a National Science Foundation PEET grant to Gustavo Hormiga and Jonathan Coddington (DOEB 9712353). Sallee Charitable Trust, 2000, (7.000$, with M. Kuntner) fieldwork in S. Africa and Madagascar PATENTS UA 737 PCT, Humidity Responsive Materials and Systems and Methods Using Humidity Responsive Materials. USA application in process. UA PCT 62/771,210 and 62/753,126. Silk nucleotides and proteins composing the toughest biological material and methods of use. Application in process (notice of recordation received Nov 2019). ACADEMIC SERVICES AND PUBLIC OUTREACH Member – UVM CAS Faculty Standards Committee, 2018-present. ‘Senator’ – UVM Faculty Senate for the Department of Biology, 2014-2016, 2017-present. Director – UVM Department of Biology Undergraduate Research Director, 2017-2018. Scientific program organizer – XX International Congress of Arachnology, Golden, Colorado, 2-9 July 2016. Member – UVM Suiter/Aple committee (student research and travel funds), 2013-2015. Director – American Arachnological Society (2012-2014). Editorial Board Zookeys (2013-present), Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, section Social Evolution 2014-present, Hacquetia, 2007-present. Associate Editor, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2013-present, Journal of Arachnology (Systematics and Taxonomy) 2007-2012. Reviewing for (among dozens): Acta Oecologica, Animal Behavior, Arthropoda Selecta, Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, Biodiversity and Conservation, Biology Letters, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, Bulletin of the Entomological Society of Washington, BMC Evolutionary Biology, BMC Genomics, Cladistics, Ecography, Ecological Entomology, Ethology, Ethology Ecology & Evolution, European Journal of Entomology, Evolution, Fauna of Arabia, Frontiers in Zoology, GENE, Genome Biology and Evolution, Genome Biology and Evolution, Genetica, GREENART, Hacquetia, Insectes Sociaux, Invertebrate Systematics, ISRN Evolutionary Biology, Journal of Animal Ecology, Journal of Applied Polymer Science, Journal of Arachnology, Journal of Biogeography, Journal of Ethology, Journal of Experimental Biology, Journal of Experimental Zoology A, Journal of Insect Behavior, Journal of Molecular Evolution, Journal of Natural History, Journal of Zoology, Molecular Ecology, Molecular Ecology Resources, Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, National Science Foundation, Nature Communications, Naturwissenschaften, Oecologia, Pacific Science, Palaios, PeerJ, PLoS One, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B, PNAS, Revista Ibérica de Aracnología, Royal Society Interface, Spider Genera of North America, Systematic Biology, Tuhinga, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, Zoological Science, Zoology, Zookeys, Zootaxa. Interactive Key, Agnarsson I. 2003a. Interactive Key to the World Genera of Cobweb Spiders (Theridiidae), version 1.0 beta. George Washington University, online at http://www.gwu.edu/~spiders/keys.htm. Scientific advisor for television series: BBC series ‘Wonders of Life”, Episode 3: Endless forms most beautiful. 2013. BBC, Attenborough series ‘The Hunt’, Episode 1: The Hardest Challenge. 2015. CBBC series ‘Beyond Bionic.’ Episode 10: Darwin Bark Spider. 2018. Press coverage and interviews (selection): August 2006: New Scientist http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn9820-societyfocused-spiders-live-and-hunt- together.html, Science 360 http://news.science360.gov/archives/20090616_breaking_story.aspx. December 2006: Science (314: 1516). April 2009: Journal of Zoology “podcast” http://www.wiley.com/bw/podcast/jzo.asp. May 2009: BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8064000/8064075.stm, Inside JEB (J. Exp. Biol. 2009, 212: ii), Teheran Times. June 2009: weirdscience.ca, New Scientist http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20227135.800-spider-silk-could-yield- superpowerful-muscle.html, Science News ScienceShots http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/science-shots/. July 2009: Cosmos Magazine http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/news/2842/how-sticky-too-sticky. November 2009: “Inspirations” interview in The Systematics 29, online: http://systass.org/newsletter/TheSystematist29-cover.pdf, BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8383000/8383070.stm. December 2009: YouTube on Nakanai spiders, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvPPITjcHnw. September 2010: BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_9001000/9001866.stm, Science News http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2010/09/malagasy-spiders-spin-the-worlds.html, National Geographic http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/09/photogalleries/100917-darwins-bark-spider-new-species-spider-webs-madagascar-science- pictures-strongest/?now=2010-09-17-00:01#/huge-spider-webs-kid_26176_600x450.jpg, Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darwin's_bark_spider, EoL, The Sun, Time Magazine, Live Science, various media worldwide. October 2010: Science (330: 21), Science News http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2010/10/new-species- slideshow.html, New Scientist: http://www.newscientist.com/gallery/dn19531-new-species-discovered-in-papua-new-guinea,
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