Charlie Willis headshot
will1278@umn.edu
Office Address

3-154 Molecular and Cellular Biology
515 Delaware Street SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455
United States

Charles

Willis

Teaching Associate Professor
Biology Teaching and Learning
Lab Website

My primary research is on how to improve biology teaching and learning in online, remote courses. In particular, I am focused on the development and implementation of online, interactive data-learning tools for ecology. I also continue to research patterns and processes of plant evolution and biodiversity using herbarium records and phylogenetics.

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Research statement

My research is generally concerned with understanding how changing environments shape plant diversity on both evolutionary and ecological time scales. Currently, I am focused on using historical specimen data to study how historic climate change (over the past century) has impacted plant phenology and diversity across North America.

Selected publications

  • Pokorny, A, Ballen, CJ, Drake, AG, Willis, CG, et al. “Out of my control”: science undergraduates report mental health concerns and inconsistent conditions when using remote proctoring software. Int J Educ Integr 19, 22 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40979-023-00141-4
  • Willis, Charles, Klemens, Jeffrey, Agrawal, Rahul, Hebert, Sadie, Palmer, Meredith, Moe, Annika, Wassenberg, Deena, Barry, Katherine, Packer, Craig (2023). Snapshot Serengeti Online Lab. OCELOTS, (Version 2.0). QUBES Educational Resources. doi:10.25334/WCSW-4069
  • Russell AE, Aide TM, Braker E, Ganong CN, Hardin RD, Holl KD, Willis, CG, et al. (2022) Integrating tropical research into biology education is urgently needed. PLoS Biol 20(6): e3001674. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3001674 pmid:35709146
  • Shaw, EC, Fowler, R, Ohadi, S, Bayly, MJ, Barrett, RA, Tibbits, J, Strand, A, Willis, CG, Donohue, K, Robeck, P, Cousens, RD. Explaining the worldwide distributions of two highly mobile species: Cakile edentula and Cakile maritima. J Biogeogr. 2020; 48: 603– 615. https://doi.org/10.1111/jbi.14024
  • Palmer, MS, Willis, CG, Barry, K, Packer, C, Moe, A, Wassenberg, D. Exploring Species Interactions with "Snapshot Serengeti". CourseSource. 2020; https://doi.org/10.24918/cs.2020.49
  • Park, DS, Willis, CG, Xi, Z, Kartesz, JT, Davis, CC, Worthington, S. Machine learning predicts large scale declines in native plant phylogenetic diversity. New Phyt. 2020; 227: 1544-1556. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.16621
  • Willis, CG, Ellwood, ER, Primack, RB, Davis, CC, Pearson, KD, Gallinat, AS, Yost, JM, Nelson, G, Mazer, SJ, Rossington, NL, Sparks, TH, Soltis, PS (2017). Old plants, new tricks: phenological research using herbarium specimens. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 99: 1263–1275. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2017.03.015

Education and background

Education and background

 

  • Postdoctoral appointment, Harvard University Herbaria
  • Postdoctoral fellowship, Harvard University Center for the Environment
  • Ph.D. in Biology, Duke University
  • A.M. in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University
  • B.S. in Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

Website

Curriculum Vitae

Charlie is the course instructor for BIOL1001, BIOL1001 online and BIOL 1009.