

Prof. Maurine Neiman
Biology and Gender, Women’s and Sexuality Studies, University of Iowa, USA
Profile
ACADEMIC HOST
Prof. Frida Ben-Ami
School of Zoology
IAS Distinguished Scholar
10.5.26-10.7.26
Education
- B.A. in Biology, Carleton College, 1999 (National Merit Scholarship)
- Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology, Minor in Genetics, Indiana University, 2004 (NSF Graduate Research Fellowship; Chancellor’s Fellowship)
Professional Experience
- Professor, Department of Biology & Department of Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies, University of Iowa (2021–present)
- Provost Faculty Fellow for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, University of Iowa (2021–2024)
- Associate Professor, Department of Biology, University of Iowa (2014–2021)
- Associate Professor, Department of Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies, University of Iowa (2018–2021)
- Guest Professor, Research Department for Limnology, University of Innsbruck, Austria (2019, 2025)
- Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, University of Iowa (2008–2014)
- Postdoctoral Researcher, Dept. of Plant Biology, Univ. of Minnesota (2007–2008)
- Postdoctoral Researcher, Dept. of Biology, Univ. of St. Thomas (2006–2007)
- Postdoctoral Researcher, Dept. of Biology, Univ. of Virginia (2004–2006)
Fellowships and Memberships
- Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) (date unspecified)
- Member, Society for the Study of Evolution (lifetime)
- Member, National Center for Science Education (lifetime)
- Member, European Society for Evolutionary Biology
- Member, American Malacological Society
- Member, The Malacological Society of London
Awards
- Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
- Thomas H. Huxley Award, Society for the Study of Evolution, 2017
- SSE Presidents’ Award for Outstanding Dissertation Paper in Evolution, Society for the Study of Evolution, 2006
- Young Investigator’s Award, American Society of Naturalists, 2007
- Graduate Research Fellowship, National Science Foundation, 1999–2004
- National Merit Scholarship, Carleton College, 1995–1999
Research Interests
- Focus: Evolution of sexual reproduction and ploidy level
- Central question: Why is sexual reproduction so common despite its costs?
- Model system: Freshwater snail Potamopyrgus antipodarum
- Methods: Behavioral ecology, evolutionary genetics, genomics, physiology, ecosystem-level studies
- Applications: Ecotoxicology, host-parasite coevolution, biological invasions
- Lab priorities: Mentoring, community engagement, inclusive and equitable lab environment
Framework of visit
IAS Distinguished ScholarsFaculty
Life Sciences
Methodology
Current YearSelected Publications
- Neiman, M.*, Pichler, M., Haase, M., Lamatsch, D. 2025. Nuclear genome size and variation in a freshwater snail. Royal Society Open Science 12: 250171.
- Jalinsky, J. R., et al., Neiman*, M. 2025. Whole-genome sequence of Potamopyrgus antipodarum. Genome Biology and Evolution, in press.
- Neiman, M.*, Sharbrough, J. 2023. Mitonuclear discordance in asexual snail lineages. BioEssays 45: 2200234.
- Stork, S., Jalinsky, J., Neiman* 2022. Mate discrimination in sexual vs. asexual snails. PeerJ 10: e14470.
- Neiman, M.*, Krist, A. C., et al. 2018. Sex in the wild: Field studies on advantages of sexual reproduction. Evolution 72: 1194–1203.
