CV – Whiteman Lab

Whiteman_BriefCV_June23_2026 Click to download a PDF of Noah’s abbreviated CV

Noah K. Whiteman

Department of Molecular & Cell Biology

University of California, Berkeley

142 Weill Hall #3200, Berkeley, CA 94720

Email: whiteman [at] berkeley [dot] edu | Website: http://www.whitemanlab.org

Research Interests:

Molecular basis of adaptations arising from species interactions (co-evolution in the broad sense), including host-parasite, predator-prey, plant-herbivore, and mutualism.

Recent Discoveries:

Horizontal transfer of bacterial toxin genes into insect genomes. We found that insects acquired bacterial toxin genes, including cytolethal distending toxin B (cdtB), by horizontal gene transfer (HGT), and that they did so repeatedly, in lineages from fruit flies to gall midges and butterflies to aphids. These genes were previously shown to be on a toxin cassette of prophage associated with Hamiltonella defensa bacteria, which can protect aphids from parasitoid wasp attack. Additional, unrelated pore-forming toxin genes were also found to be widely transmitted to drosophilids via HGT. This adds to a body of evidence that horizontal transfer is an unexpected route to the origin of evolutionary novelty in animals. (Verster et al., Molecular Biology and Evolution, 2019; Verster et al., Genome Biology and Evolution, 2021; Magyar et al. The Journal of Innate Immunity, 2025)

Domestication of transferred toxins into a new immune function. We showed that the horizontally transferred cdtB toxin genes (and those fused to the receptor binding domain of apoptosis inducing protein of 56 kilodaltons) were domesticated into anti-parasitoid defenses. We first knocked these genes out in Drosophila ananassae using CRISPR and showed that they are necessary for protection from parasitoid wasp attack. Then, by transferring these phage-derived genes from D. ananassae into the model D. melanogaster with CRISPR, we used a variety of tools to show that CdtB is a humoral toxin against parasitoids (the first humoral toxin against parasitoids known from Drosophila), linking horizontal gene transfer directly to the origin of an innate immune function. We are now using this system as a window into the evolution of anti-animal innate immunity (Verster et al., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA, 2023; Tarnopol et al., Current Biology, 2025)

Retracing the evolution of toxin resistance. Using CRISPR in D. melanogaster, we retraced the evolution of repeated resistance to milkweed heart poisons (cardenolides) in species like the monarch butterfly and found that three substitutions in the sodium pump (Na+/K+-ATPase) were acquired in an order constrained by epistasis. This was the first use of CRISPR to illuminate an adaptive walk in an animal. We also identified the transporters that protect insects from the toxins they sequester, and discovered the same sodium pump substitutions evolved convergently in the predators and parasites that consume monarchs and other milkweed-feeding herbivores. (Karageorgi et al., Nature, 2019; Groen et al., Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 2017; Groen & Whiteman, Current Biology, 2021)

Convergent resistance to plant neurotoxins across 300 million years. Building on the cardenolide work, we turned to even more broadly distributed plant neurotoxins (like thymol) that target the animal GABA receptor, encoded by the Resistance to dieldrin (Rdl) gene. We found convergent Rdl gene duplications coupled with convergent pore substitutions across herbivorous insects and their predators resulted in resistance to a suite of terpenoids. These genetic changes were associated with increased diversification rates of some of the lineages that carry them, and some of the same changes conferred resistance to synthetic insecticides. We tested the adaptive value of these substitutions and their costs by knocking them into Drosophila, again using CRISPR. Substitutions that confer resistance to GABA-targeting plant neurotoxins also shape insect responses to pest management strategies (Guo et al., Nature Ecology & Evolution, 2023)

Scaptomyza as a model for the origin of herbivory. We established the mustard-specialist leaf-mining fly Scaptomyza flava, nested evolutionarily deep in the Drosophila lineage, as a genetically tractable system for the origin of herbivory. We also resolved its genome sequence and studied how genes involved in chemosensation, detoxification, and ovipositor function evolved during the transition to herbivory. (Whiteman et al., Molecular Ecology, 2011; Whiteman et al., Genome Biology and Evolution, 2012; Gloss et al., Molecular Biology and Evolution, 2014; Peláez et al., Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 2022; Peláez et al., G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics, 2023)

Sensory basis of herbivory. We traced the emergence of herbivory in Scaptomyza flies to the stepwise loss of olfactory receptors, antennal responses, and ancestral behaviors tuned to yeast volatiles. We then discovered that other olfactory receptors were duplicated and experienced rapid amino acid substitution rates associated with the gain and retuning of receptors that detect volatile mustard oils. A single neofunctionalized olfactory receptor (Or67b3) from S. flava was sufficient to drive attraction to volatile mustard oils (isothiocyanates or ITCs) when expressed in empty neurons of D. melanogaster. Toxins were co-opted as host recognition cues through the evolution of ITC-responsive olfactory receptors, which are the first known from Drosophila (Goldman-Huertas et al., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA, 2015; Matsunaga et al., Molecular Biology and Evolution, 2022; Matsunaga et al., Molecular Biology and Evolution 2025)

Reciprocal interactions between herbivory and the phyllosphere. We linked for the first time leaf bacterial abundance to herbivory in the field and showed how herbivory amplifies plant pathogens. In the laboratory we showed this operated in the reverse direction too, because Pseudomonas syringae enhanced herbivory by suppressing the plant’s oxidative burst. We also showed that S. flava likely vectors P. syringae and relatives between leaves. These discoveries showed that the leaf microbiome is an important variable driving the ecology and evolution of plant-herbivore interactions. (Humphrey et al., Molecular Ecology, 2014; Groen et al., Journal of Insect Physiology, 2016; Humphrey & Whiteman, Nature Ecology & Evolution, 2020)

Writing for a wider audience. Noah’s book Most Delicious Poison: The Story of Nature’s Toxins, from Spices to Vices (Little, Brown Spark, 2023) brings the chemistry, ecology, evolution, and human history of natural toxins to a general readership.

Education

Postdoctoral Fellow, Genomics and Molecular Biology, Harvard University (Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School) & Massachusetts General Hospital (Department of Molecular Biology) (2006-2010)
Advisors: Naomi E. Pierce & Frederick M. Ausubel

Ph.D. Biology (Emphasis in Evolution, Ecology, and Systematics), University of Missouri-St. Louis (2006)
Advisor: Patricia G. Parker (dissertation committee members Kevin Johnson, Toby Kellogg, Robert Marquis, and Robert Ricklefs)

M.S. Entomology, University of Missouri-Columbia (2000)
Advisor: Robert W. Sites

B.A. Biology cum laude with Distinction, Saint John’s University, Minnesota (1998)
Advisor: James Poff

Appointments

July 2026-pres., Head, Division of Genetics, Genomics, Evolution, and Development, Department of Molecular & Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley

2023-25, Director, Essig Museum of Entomology, University of California, Berkeley Natural History Museums

2024-pres., Professor, Division of Genetics, Genomics, Evolution, and Development, Department of Molecular & Cell Biology (100%) and Department of Integrative Biology (0%), University of California, Berkeley (with courtesy affiliations in the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, Univeristy and Jepson Herbaria, and Essig Museum of Entomology)

2021-2024, Professor, Division of Genetics, Genomics, Evolution, and Development, Department of Molecular & Cell Biology (50%) and Department of Integrative Biology (50%), University of California, Berkeley

2016-2021, Associate Professor, Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley

2010-2016, Assistant (2010-2015) and Associate (2015-2016) Professor, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona (with courtesy affiliations in the Division of Plant Sciences, Department of Neuroscience, and Graduate Group in Enomology)

2009-pres., Principal Investigator, Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory

2007-2010, NIH F32 National Research Service Award Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology and Department of Genetics, Harvard University; Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital

Selected Awards, Honors, and Distinctions

2026-pres., Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science

2025, Genetics Society of America Medal for outstanding contributions to genetics

2025, Chair, Gordon Research Conference on Plant-Herbivore Interaction

2024, Miller Faculty Fellow, Miller Institute for Basic Research

2021-pres., Fellow, John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation

2021-pres., Fellow, Royal Entomological Society

2020-pres., Fellow, California Academy of Sciences

2019-pres., Full Member, Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society

2016-pres., Outstanding Investigator Award, National Institutes of Health

2012-pres., Elective Member, American Ornithological Society

2012-pres., National Geographic Explorer, National Geographic Society

2007, Distinction in Teaching Award, Harvard University

2000-03, Peter Raven Graduate Fellowship in Tropical Biology, University of Missouri-St. Louis

Recent Grants

Active

2026-29: Simons Foundation, Evolutionary Dynamics and Genomic Ecology on Barro Colorado Island (EDGE-BCI) ($2,582,284; subaward from Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, lead organization to University of California, Berkeley, Lead PI Whiteman, co-PI Daniel Rokhsar).

2026-31: NIH National Institute of General Medical Sciences, Outstanding Investigator Award (R35GM119816-11), Co-evolutionary Genetics of Host-Parasite Interactions ($2,447,215; University of California, Berkeley, PI Whiteman).

2024-29: NIH National Institute of General Medical Sciences, T32 Predoctoral Training Grant (T32GM132022-06), Genetic Dissection of Cells and Organisms Training Grant ($3,819,915; University of California, Berkeley, Lead PI Whiteman, co-PI Nicole King.

Completed

2021-26: NIH National Institute of General Medical Sciences, Outstanding Investigator Award (R35GM119816-06), Co-evolutionary Genetics of Host-Parasite Interactions ($2,255,810; University of California-Berkeley, Noah Whiteman, PI). Note: an additional $43,498 was awarded in 2023-2024 through a Research Supplement to facilitate the mentoring of an undergraduate student.

2019-25: NIH National Institute of General Medical Sciences, T32 Predoctoral Training Grant (T32GM132022-01), Genetic Dissection of Cells and Organisms Training Grant ($3,038,495; University of California, Berkeley, Lead PI Whiteman and co-PI Nicole King). Whiteman and King assumed leadership from Lead PI Jasper Rine and co-PI Iswar Hariharan in 2023.

2020-25: California Conservation Genomics Grant,To support genomics of California Pipevine and California Pipevine Swallowtail ($89,911; University of California-Berkeley, Whiteman, PI).

2020-24: National Science Foundation (NSF), Division of Integrative Organismal Systems (2029528), Collaborative research: Mechanisms of Color Perception in Wild Hummingbirds ($325,000; University of California, Berkeley, Whiteman, PI; Professor Mary (Cassie) Stoddard, Princeton University, PI on a separate award).

2020-22: France-Berkeley Fund, Evolution of Gustatory Preferences in Herbivorous Insects. ($12,000; University of California, Berkeley, Whiteman, co-PI; CNRS, Frédéric Marion-Poll, co PI).

2016-21: NIH National Institute of General Medical Sciences, Outstanding Investigator Award (R35GM119816-01), Co-evolutionary Genetics of Host-Parasite Interactions ($1,866,119; University of California-Berkeley, Whiteman, PI).

2019: Biology Faculty Research Grant, Funds to build a gas chromatography-coupled electroantennography detection system for insect behavior and neurogenetics studies ($10,000; University of California, Berkeley, Whiteman, PI).

2018-19: Instructional Improvement Grant, Creation of New Laboratory Sections for Undergraduate Course IB 161, Population and Evolutionary Genetics ($3,000; University of California, Berkeley, Whiteman and Rasmus Nielsen co-PIs).

2013-16: John Templeton Foundation, Coevolution, Convergence and the Origins of Biodiversity ($1,034,999 split evenly among three co-PIs; University of California, Berkeley, Whiteman, co-PI; Cornell University, Anurag Agrawal, co-PI; University of Hamburg, Susanne Dobler, co-PI).

2015-18: NSF, Division of Integrative Organismal Systems (1601355), DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Linking Functional Evolution of Odorant Receptors to Behavioral Adaptations and the Emergence of Herbivory in Drosophilids ($19,849; University of Arizona, Whiteman, PI, Ben Goldman-Huertas, co-PI).

2014-16: NSF, Division of Environmental Biology (1405966), DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Does Fine-scale habitat Variation Shape Genomic Diversity within Populations? ($19,671; University of Arizona, Whiteman, PI, Andrew Gloss, co-PI).

2013-15: NSF, Division of Environmental Biology (1256758), Mediation of Plant-Herbivore Interactions by Foliar Bacterial Endophytes: A test using a native Pseudomonas-mustard insect interaction system ($150,000; University of Arizona, Whiteman, PI).

2013-15: NSF, Division of Environmental Biology (1309493), DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Dissecting Microbial Mediation of Plant-Herbivore Interactions in the Wild ($19,097; University of Arizona, Whiteman, PI, Parris Humphrey, co-PI).

2012-14: National Geographic Society, Committee on Research and Exploration Grant, Repeated Evolution of Herbivory in the Drosophila Radiation ($19,010; University of Arizona, Whiteman, PI).

Invited Lectures (Symposia/Conferences)

Forthcoming:

6/27, Gordon Research Conference on Molecular Mechanisms in Evolution, University of Southern Maine.

Keynote, 8/27, 19^th Symposium of Insect-Plant Interaction, Wageningen University, The Netherlands.

10/26 EMBO Workshop: Molecular Mechanisms in Evolution and Ecology, Heidelberg, Germany.

10/26, Lakeside Protein Toxins and Effectors Conference, Wellsworth Hotel, Massachusetts.

Completed:

6/26. Keynote, Gregor Mendel Institute Early Career Symposium, Vienna, Austria.

5/26. Keynote, Institute for Integrative Genome Biology Annual Symposium, University of California, Riverside.

5/25. Evening Speaker, Gordon Research Conference on Animal-Microbial Symbioses, University of Southern Maine.

4/24. Inaugural EMBO|EMBL Symposium on Diversity of Plants: From Genomes to Metabolism. Heidelberg. Hosted by Professors Detlef Weigel and Sarah O’Connor.

7/23. Max Planck Society, Symposium on Adaptation to Diverse Toxins in Animals. Harnack Haus, Berlin.

7/21. 75th Anniversary Symposium, Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Evolution.

7/21. Plenary,International Conference on Arabidopsis Research (ICAR), Seattle, Washington.

3/21. Plenary, Annual Drosophila Research Conference (virtual)

11/19. Symposium in honor of Professor Naomi Pierce, 2019 International Prize in Biology recipient. Tokyo, Japan.

8/19. Keynote, Evolution of host plant use in arthropods symposium. European Society for Evolutionary Biology, Annual Meeting, Turku, Finland.

2/19. Evening Speaker, Eating Novel Food Resources session. Gordon Research Conference on Plant Herbivore Interactions. Ventura, CA.

11/18. Program Symposium: Traversing Disciplines to Understand and Manage Helpful and Harmful Hexapods. Entomological Society of America, Annual Meeting,Vancouver, BC.

7/18. Time’s Arrow: Aging & Adaptation in Infectious Diseases Working Group Presentation. Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM.

4/18. Keynote, UC Davis Plant Sciences Symposium (graduate student organized).

7/17. Chair and Keynote, Evolutionary Genomics Session, 16^th Symposium on Insect-Plant Interactions, Tours, France.

7/17. Center for Integrative Genomics Symposium: Innovations in Biology. University of Lausanne.

7/16. Symposium on Adaptation to a Changing Environment. University of Zurich. ETH, Zurich. Monte Verità, Switzerland.

10/15. Le Studium Conference, University of Tours and CNRS, France.

8/14. Symposium on role of natural history in ecological research. Ecological Society of America 100th Annual Meeting.

7/14. 7th International Symposium on Molecular Insect Science. Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

06/14. Keynote, Italian Congress of Entomology. Orosei, Italy.

06/14. Keynote, 5th Meeting, European PhD Network in Insect Science. Orosei, Italy.

9/13. 7th New Phytologist Workshop on Chemical Ecology and Co-evolution. Cornell University (Anurag Agrawal, chair, organizing committee).

2/13. Evening speaker, Herbivore detoxification: new lessons from genomics session. Gordon Research Conference on Plant Herbivore Interactions, Ventura, California.

12/11. Ecological Genomics Session, Plant and Animal Genomes Conference, San Diego, California.

8/10. Chair, Mini-symposium on Plant-Insect Interactions, American Society of Plant Biologists annual meeting (Plant Biology 2010), Montreal, Canada.

12/09. Program Symposium Organizer and Chair, Celebrating the role of entomology in the genomics revolution. Entomological Society of America meeting, Indianapolis.

01/09. Plant Interactions with Pests and Pathogens Workshop, International Plant & Animal Genome Conference, San Diego.

06/08. Population Genetics of Parasites Symposium. American Society of Parasitologists meeting, Arlington, Texas (symposium co-chair with Charles Criscione).

12/06. Phylogenetic Perspectives on Ectoparasitism Symposium. Entomological Society of America meeting, Indianapolis.

10/06. Plenary lecturer, Ecology and Epidemiology of Animal Lice Symposium. International Congress on Phthiraptera, Buenos Aires, Argentina (symposium co-chair with Dale Clayton).

10/06. Speaker, Emerging Infectious Wildlife Diseases: Impacts on Birds and the Role of Ornithology Symposium. North American Ornithological Congress, Veracruz, Mexico.

Invited Lectures since 2010 (Universities/Institues)

2026: University of California, Irvine, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

2026: Dean’s Interdisciplinary Seminar Series, Division of Biology and Medicine, Brown University

2026: Norman L. Ford Endowed Science Literacy Lecture Series, Saint John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota

2025: University of California, San Diego, Biological Sciences Division

2025: Genetics Society of America Award Seminar Series (Medalist seminar)

2025: University of Rochester, Department of Biology

2025: John Innes Centre and Sainsbury Laboratory, UK

2024: Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois

2024: University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Biodiversity Research Centre Graduate, Student Invited Speaker

2024: Harry Hann Endowed Lecture at the University of Michigan Biological Station

2023: Johns Hopkins University, Chemistry-Biology Interface Graduate Student Invited, Speaker

2023: Marine Biological Laboratory Physiology Course Guest Speaker and Instructor

2023: Living Histories Seminar Series (hosted by Purdue University)

2023: University of Washington, Department of Biology

2023: University of Georgia, Department of Entomology

2022: Pennsylvania State University, Department of Entomology

2021: University of Chicago, Department of Ecology and Evolution, Graduate Student Invited Speaker

2021: University of Utah, School of Biological Sciences, LGBTQ+STEM Distinguished Speaker Series

2021: Michigan State University, Molecular Plant Sciences

2021: University of Virginia, Department of Biology

2020: Universidad de los Andes, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas

2020: Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI) Seminar Series, University of California, Berkeley

2020: University of Illinois, Department of Entomology

2020: Princeton University, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Department

2020: Yale University, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

2020: Duke University, Department of Biology

2020: University of California, Merced, School of Natural Sciences

2019: University of Amsterdam, Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics 2019: University of California, Riverside, Department of Entomology

2018: University of Chicago, Department of Ecology and Evolution, Postdoctoral Invited Speaker

2017: North Carolina State University, W.M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology Distinguished Lecture Series

2017: University of California, Santa Cruz, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology 2017: San Francisco State University, Department of Biology

2017: Princeton University, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

2016: Cornell University, Department of Entomology

2015: University of California-Berkeley, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology

2014: Stanford University, Department of Biology

2014: University of California-Berkeley, Department of Integrative Biology

2014: University of California-Davis, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

2014: University of British Columbia, Department of Zoology

2014: University of Colorado, Department of Biology

2014: University of Miami, Department of Biology

2014: West Virginia University, Department of Biology

2014: Duke University, Department of Biology (PopBio Graduate Student Invited Speaker)

2014: University of Texas, Austin, Department of Integrative Biology

2013: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Instituto de Ecología

2013: University of Utah, Department of Biology

2013: University of California, Santa Barbara, Ecology, Evolution & Marine Biology

2012: University of California, Riverside, Department of Entomology

2012: University of Toronto, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

2012: Florida State University, graduate student invited speaker

2012: Department of Biological Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Department of Botany and Keynote Seminar on Co-evolution on “Entangled Genomes”

2011: University of California-Irvine, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

2011: University of Arizona, Department of Immunobiology

2011: Western State College, Beta Beta Beta National Honor Society District W-1 Convention

2010: University of California-Berkeley, Department of Integrative Biology

2010: University of Arizona, Department of Entomology

2010: University of Arizona, Department of Plant Sciences

Recent Leadership & Service

2026: Guest Member, Genetic Variation and Evolution Study Section, National Institutes of Health

2026: Biodiversity Tracking Workshop Member, Simons Foundation, New York

2025-present: Scientific Advisory Board, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany

2024-present: Editor-in-Chief, Oxford Bibliographies in Evolution

2023-present: Senior Editor for Genome Reports, G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics (Genetics Society of America)

2022-present: Co-Director, Genetics Dissection of Cells and Organisms Training Program (GDTP), NIH T32 predoctoral grant (with Nicole King)

2023-2025: Special Advisor to the Provost on Climate and Mentoring (Co-lead, Faculty Link Program, Office for Faculty Equity & Welfare, UC Berkeley, Co-lead Serena Chen)

2022-2026: Advisor, Arcadia Science

2022: Faculty Leadership Academy, University of California, Berkeley

2021-2023: Elected to Board of Directors, Genetics Society of America

2021: Guest Member, Editorial Board, Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution and Systematics

2019-present: Editorial Board, Journal of Chemical Ecology

2019-2021: Chair, Committee on Equity and Inclusion, Genetics Society of America

2019: Elected Vice Chair (2023) and Chair (2025), Gordon Research Conference on Plant-Herbivore Interaction

2019-present: College of Reviewers, European Science Foundation

2018: Co-organizer, Annual Drosophila Research Conference, Philadelphia

2018: Working Group Member, Time’s Arrow: Aging & Adaptation in Infectious Diseases, Santa Fe Institute

2016-present: Editorial Board, Biology Letters

Mentees

Postdoctoral Scholars:

Dr. Jack Liu (July 2026-present, Life Sciences Research Foundation Fellow funded by the Simons Foundation)

Dr. Jeff Groh (July 2025-present, Miller Postdoctoral Fellow, co-mentored with Professor Ben Blackman)

Dr. Moe Bakhtiari (2020-2023, Early Postdoc Mobility Fellowship, Swiss National Science Foundation, currently postdoctoral fellow, ETH, Switzerland)

Dr. Sam Chaturvedi (2021-2023, currently Assistant Professor, Tulane University)

Dr. Rebecca Tarvin (2018-2020; Miller Institute Fellow, co-advised with Prof. R. Nielsen; currently Assistant Professor, Department of Integrative Biology and Herpetology Curator, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, UC-Berkeley)

Dr. Marianthi Karageorgi (2017-2020, incoming Lecturer, University of Melbourne)

Dr. Rebecca Duncan (2016-2019, Miller Institute Fellowship, co-advised with Prof. S. Lindow, currently Staff Scientist, CDC)

Dr. Teruyuki Matsunaga (2016-2022, Japan Science Fellowship and Uehara Foundation Fellowship, currently Assistant Professor, University of Tokyo)

Dr. Catherine Rushworth (January 2016-July 2018, currently Assistant Professor, Utah State University)

Dr. Simon Groen (April 2014-2016, currently Assistant Professor, UC- Riverside)

Dr. Paul Nabity (USDA NIFA Fellow, 2012-2015, previously Assistant Professor, Assistant and Associate Professor UC-Riverside and currently Lecturer, University of Melbourne)

Dr. Anna Nelson Dittrich (PERT Postdoctoral Fellow, CIS, August 2012-2015, currently Laboratory Manager, Boyce Thompson Institute)

Dr. Jennifer Koop (PERT Postdoctoral Fellow, CIS, August 2011-2014, Currently Associate Professor, Northern Illinois University)

Dr. Rick Lapoint (PERT Postdoctoral Fellow, CIS, July 2011-2014, currently Staff Scientist, NCBI)

Ph.D. Students:

Dr. Diler Haji (NSF Graduate Research Fellow, Berkeley Fellow and IB Ph.D., 2019-2026, currently postdoc Sattley Lab, Stanford)

Dr. Rebecca Tarnopol (NSF Graduate Research Fellow, Graduate Group in Microbiology Ph.D. 2021-2026, currently Sandler Fellow, UCSF)

Dr. Hiromu Suzuki (Heiwa Nakajima Foundation Fellowship and IB Ph.D., 2018-2025, currently postdoc Sorrels Lab, Yale)

Dr. Jessica Aguilar (NSF Graduate Research Fellow, Chancellor’s Fellow, IB Ph.D., 2017-2024, currently postdoc Fukami Lab, Stanford)

Dr. Julianne Peláez (NSF Graduate Research Fellow, IB Ph.D., 2016-2023, currently postdoc, Garrity Lab, Brandeis)

Dr. Tim O’Connor (NSF Graduate Research Fellow, Philomathia Fellow and IB Ph.D., 2012-2019, currently genomicist AbbVie)

Dr. Kirsten Verster (NSF Graduate Research Fellow and IB Ph.D., 2016-2023, currently lecturer, Stanford)

Dr. Parris Humphrey (IGERT in Comparative Genomics fellow and EEB Ph.D., 2010- 2015, currently computational biologist, Myriad)

Dr. Andrew Gloss (IGERT in Comparative Genomics fellow and NSF Graduate Research Fellow, EEB Ph.D., 2010-2017, currently Assistant Professor, University of Georgia)

Dr. Benjamin Goldman-Huertas (NSF Graduate Research Fellow, and EEB Ph.D. 2010-2018, currently Senior Specialist, UC-Berkeley).

Undergradute and High School Students:

Amir Abidov, Sneha Agrawal, Saron Akalu, Zainab Ali, Roem Araujo, Carolina Verona Arguelles, Symone Ashley, Michael Astourian, Alana Augur, Ivan Salvador Ayala, Timothy Barnes, Ashley Bendl, Allan Castillo, Kevin Chai, Bridget Cheng, Matt Cravens, Ana Gallegos Cruz, Sammy Dominguez, Gabriel Dueñas, Kelly D’Ambrogia, William Farley, Mitchell Feldmann, Jason Giles, Alexander Hailey, Jordan Hoff, Lauren Johnston, Eunice Kim, Nayoon Kim, Natalie Kircher, Noel Kitchen, Boris Korablev, Robert Kupp, Erika LaPlante, Anna Leipertz, Irene Liang, Sergio Antonio Matias, Maria Mendoza, Aruna Menon, Christina Meyer, Kevin Miao, Claire Mirocha, Gillian Montross, Gillian Oaks, Chris Ochoa, Judith Okoro, Elizabeth Ordeman, Taylor Ortiz, Rachel Patterson, Anna Pham, Giovani Pimentel-Solorio, Hoon Pyon, Julianne Ray, Justin Rigby, Esteban Rodas, Sarah Caitlyn Rogan, Eric Rogers, Faye Romero, Easha Sagar, Marissa Sandoval, Lindsey Schader, Hannah Shadmany, Malvika Singhal, Joseph Sitzman, Haarini Sridhar, Shivani Sundaram, Ashleigh Takemoto, Josephine Tamsil, Nancy Thi, Xiaohe “Lucy” Tian, Martha Villalobos, George Wang, Jiarui Wang, Ryan Wang, Naama Weksler, Amelia Renee White, Ella Wilcox, Joshua Wong, Kannagi Yashroy, Derrick Yip, Fareha Moulana Zada, Samantha Zaninelli, Shirley Zhang, Caitlyn Zhu

TEACHING

University of California, Berkeley

2026: Instructor, Genetics Immersion Graduate Seminar, MCB 290 (with Nicole King)

2026: Instructor, Advanced Genetic Analysis, MCB 240 (with Doug Koshland and Barbara Meyer)

2025: Instructor, Genetics Immersion Graduate Seminar, MCB 290 (with Nicole King)

2025: Instructor, Evolution of Genomes, Cells, and Development, MCB 143 (with Nicole King)

2024: Instructor, Genetics Immersion Graduate Seminar, MCB 290 (with Nicole King)

2023: Instructor, Evolutionary Biology, IB 160 (sole instructor)

2023: Instructor, Genetics Immersion Graduate Seminar, MCB 290 (with Nicole King)

2022: Instructor, Evolutionary Biology, IB 160, Fall (sole instructor)

2020: Instructor, Evolutionary Biology, IB 160, Fall (sole instructor)

2019: Instructor, Evolutionary Biology, IB 160, Fall (sole instructor)

2019: Instructor, Academic Survivorship (graduate level), IB 305 (with Prof. Caroline Williams)

2019: Instructor, Population and Evolutionary Genetics, IB 161 (with Prof. Rasmus Nielsen)

2018: Instructor, Evolutionary Biology, IB 160 (with Prof. Kevin Padian)

2018: Instructor, Academic Survivorship (graduate level), IB 305 (with Prof. Caroline Williams)

2018: Instructor, Bio 1B (Evolution section)

2017: Instructor, Evolutionary Biology, IB 160 (with Prof. Kevin Padian)

2017: Instructor, Population and Evolutionary Genetics, IB 161 (with Prof. Rasmus Nielsen)

2016: Instructor, Evolutionary Biology, IB 160 (with Prof. Kevin Padian)

2016: Instructor, Freshman Seminar, Exploration of Nature (IB 24)

University of Arizona

2015: Instructor, Functional and Evolutionary Genomics, ECOL 553

2015: Instructor, Evolutionary Biology, ECOL 335

2014: Instructor, Functional and Evolutionary Genomics 2014: Instructor, Functional and Evolutionary Genomics, ECOL 553

2014: Instructor, Evolutionary Biology, ECOL 335

2013: Instructor, Functional and Evolutionary Genomics, ECOL 553

2013: Instructor, Evolutionary Biology, ECOL 335

2012: Instructor, Functional and Evolutionary Genomics, ECOL 553

2012: Guest lecturer, Ecology, ECOL 600B

2012: Instructor, Evolutionary Biology, ECOL 335

2011: Guest lecturer, Ecology, ECOL 600B

2011: Instructor, Evolutionary Biology, ECOL 335

2011: Instructor, Co-evolutionary Biology, ECOL 596W

2010: Guest lecturer, Ecology, ECOL 600B

2008-09: Guest instructor on plant-insect interactions, Entomology course

2006-07: Head teaching fellow, Animal Behavior undergraduate course, a Core Curriculum course of Harvard College with 70 undergraduate students (Harvard University)

2006: Co-instructor, Disease Ecology graduate course (with P.G. Parker; UM-St. Louis) Guest instructor, Introduction to Evolution undergraduate course (UM-St. Louis)

2005: Guest instructor, Entomology undergraduate course (UM-St. Louis)

2004-06: Co-instructor, Advanced Biology high school research course, NSF GK-12 graduate teaching fellowship at Eskridge Memorial High School (with J. Borque; UM-St. Louis).

2004: Teaching assistant (TA), Genetics undergraduate course, laboratory preparation and sole laboratory instructor (UM-St. Louis)

2003: TA, Introduction to Evolution undergraduate course (UM-St. Louis)

1995-98: TA, Biology of Insects and Concepts of Biology courses (St. John’s University)

Books

Whiteman, N. K. (2023). Most Delicious Poison: The Story of Nature’s Toxins — From Spices to Vices. Little Brown Spark, New York. ISBN 9780316386579. UK and Commonwealth edition: Oneworld. Translated into Chinese, Spanish, Polish, and Romanian. Audiobook: Brilliance/Audible.

Preprints

103. Suzuki, H. C, C. T. Saito, S. Rajshekar, T. Sokabe, D. Haji, S. C. Groen, J. N. Peláez, T. Matsunaga, A. S. Takemoto, K. M. Tanaka, A. Takahashi, M. Tominaga, S. Saito, N. K. Whiteman. Alternative splicing in TRPA1 drives sensory adaptation to electrophiles in drosophilids. BioRxiv 2025.05.09.653172.

102. Peláez, J. P., S. L. Bernstein, J. Okoro, E. Rodas, I. Liang, A. Leipertz, F. Marion-Poll, N. K. Whiteman. Taste evolution in an herbivorous drosophilid. BioRxiv 2024 Feb 29:2024.02.27.582299.

101. Gloss, A.D., B. Brachi, M.J. Feldman, S.C. Groen, C. Bartoli, J. Gouzy, E.R. LaPlante, C.G. Meyer, H.S. Pyong, S.C. Rogan, F. Roux, J. Bergelson & N.K. Whiteman. Genetic variants affecting plant size and chemical defenses jointly shape herbivory in Arabidopsis. BioRxiv https://doi.org/10.1101/156299.

100. Humphrey, P.T., T.T Satterlee & N.K. Whiteman (2020) Competitive hierarchies, antibiosis, and the distribution of bacterial life history traits in a microbiome. BioRxiv doi.org/10.1101/2019.12.27.889774.

Scientific Publications

98. Haji, D., S. Chaturvedi, O. H. Nguyen, N, Chumchim, D. M. Toro-Vargas, J. Díaz-Díaz, L. V. Lozano-Morales, G. A. Bravo, C. González, Noah K. Whiteman. (2026) Genome assembly and venom gene mapping in the medically important moth Lonomia casanarensis (Saturniidae: Hemileucinae). G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics in press.

97. Matsunaga, T., C. Reisenman, B. Goldman-Huertas, S. Rajshekar, H. C. Suzuki, D. Tadres, J. Wong, M. Louis, S. R. Ramírez & N. K. Whiteman. (2025). Odorant receptors mediating avoidance of toxic mustard oils in Drosophila melanogaster are expanded in herbivorous relatives. Molecular Biology and Evolution 42: msaf164 Matsunaga et al. 2025 PDF

96. Tarnopol, R. L., J. Tamsil, G. Cinege, J. Ha, Kirsten I. Verster, E. Ábrahám, L. B. Magyar, B. Y. Kim, S. L. Bernstein, Z. Lipinszki, I. Andó & N. K. Whiteman (2025). Experimental horizontal transfer of phage-derived genes to Drosophila confers innate immunity to parasitoids. Current Biology 35: 514-529. Tarnopol et al 2025 PDF.

95. Magyar, L. B., E. Ábrahám, Z. Lipinszki, R. L. Tarnopol, N. K. Whiteman, V. Varga, D. Hultmark, I Andó & G. Cinege (2025). Pore-forming toxin-like proteins in the anti-parasitoid immune response of Drosophila. Journal of Innate Immunity 17 10-28. Magyar et al 2025 PDF

94. Whiteman, N. K. (2025). An inordinate fondness for plant cell wall degrading enzymes. Current Biology [Dispatch] 35: R107-R109. Whiteman 2025 PDF

93. Whiteman, N. K. (2025). The shape of discovery: a journey through genetics, coevolution, and a scientific life. Genetics [Genetics Society of America Medalist Essay] 230:iyaf096. Whiteman 2025 PDF

92. Aguilar, J. M., A. D. Gloss. H.C. Suzuki, K. I. Verster, M. Singhal, J. Hoff, R. Grebenok, P. D. Nabity, S. T. Behmer & N. K. Whiteman (2024). Insights into the evolution of herbivory from a leaf-mining fly. Ecosphere 15: e4764. Aguilar et al. 2024 PDF

91. Chaturvedi, S., M. Escalona, M. P. A. Marimuthu, O. Nguyen, N. Chumchim, C. W. Fairbairn, W. Seligmann, C. Miller, H. B. Shaffer & N. K. Whiteman (2024). A draft reference genome assembly of California Pipevine, Aristolochia californica Torr. Journal of Heredity 115: 507–515. Chaturvedi et al 2024 PDF

90. Whiteman, N. K. (2024) Genome Reports: Enhancing rigor, reproducibility, relevance. G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics [Editorial] 13: jkad249. Whiteman 2024 PDF

89. Verster, K. I., G. Cinege, Z. Lipinszki, L. B. Magyar, É. Kurucz, R. L. Tarnopol, E. Ábrahám, Z. Darula, M. Karageorgi, J. A. Tamsil, S. M. Akalu, I. Andó & N. K. Whiteman (2023). Evolution of insect innate immunity through domestication of bacterial toxins. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA 120: e2218334120. Verster et al 2023 PDF. See also Kerry Oliver’s Commentary in the same issue.

88. Guo, L., X. Qiao, D. Haji, D, T. Zhou, Z. Liu, N. K. Whiteman, J. Huang (2023). Convergent resistance to GABA receptor neurotoxins through plant–insect coevolution. Nature Ecology & Evolution 7: 1444–1456. Guo et al 2023 PDF

87. Whiteman, N. K. (2023). Mistletoes. Current Biology [Primer] 33: R467-R469. Whiteman 2023 PDF

86. Chaturvedi, S., M. Escalona, P. Mohan, P. A. Marimuthu, O. Nguyen, N. Chumchim, C. W. Fairbairn, W. Seligmann, C. Miller, H. B. Shaffer & N. K. Whiteman (2023). A draft reference genome assembly of the Pipevine Swallowtail butterfly, Battus philenor hirsuta. Journal of Heredity 114: 698–706. Chaturvedi et al 2023 PDF

85. Peláez, J. N., A. D. Gloss, B. Goldman-Huertas, B. Kim, R. T. Lapoint, G. Pimentel-Solorio, K. I. Verster, J. M. Aguilar, A. C. Nelson Dittrich, M. Singhal, H. C. Suzuki, T. Matsunaga, E. E. Armstrong, J. L.M. Charboneau, S. C. Groen, D. H. Hembry, C. J. Ochoa, T. K. O’Connor, S. Prost, S. Zaaijer, P. D. Nabity, J. Wang, E. Rodas, I. Liang, & N. K. Whiteman (2023). Evolution of chemosensory and detoxification gene families across herbivorous Drosophilidae. G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics 13: jkad261. Peláez et al 2023 PDF

84. Peláez, J. N.., A. D. Gloss, J. F. Ray, S. Chaturvedi, D. Haji, J. L. M. Charboneau, K. I. Verster & N.K. Whiteman (2022). Evolution and genomic basis of the plant-penetrating ovipositor: a key morphological trait in herbivorous Drosophilidae. Proceedings of the Royal Society, Series B 289: 20221938. Peláez et al 2022 PDF

83. Whiteman, N.K. (2022). Perspective: The problem of interaction. Evolution (75th Anniversary Symposium Issue) 76: 15-19. Whiteman 2022a PDF

82. Whiteman, N.K. (2022). Perspective: Evolution in small steps and giant leaps. Evolution (75th Anniversary Symposium Issue) 76: 67-77. Whiteman 2022b PDF

81. Groen, S.C. & N.K. Whiteman (2022). Ecology and evolution of secondary compound detoxification systems in caterpillars. In: Caterpillars in the Middle: Tritrophic Interactions in a Changing World (Editors: R.J. Marquis & S. Koptur). Springer. Groen & Whiteman 2022 PDF

80. Alexandre, N.M., D. Haji, M. Bakhtiari , K. Chatla, J.M. Aguilar, K. Arzumanova, N.K. Whiteman (2022). A reference genome assembly of hybrid-derived California wild radish (Raphanus sativus x raphanistrum). Journal of Heredity [Genome Announcement article] 113: 197-204. Alexandre et al 2022 PDF

79. Matsunaga, T., C.E. Reisenman, B. Goldman-Huertas, P. Brand, K. Miao, H. Suzuki, S.R. Ramírez, & N.K. Whiteman. (2021). Evolution of olfactory receptors tuned to mustard oils in herbivorous Drosophilidae. Molecular Biology and Evolution 39:msab62. Matsunaga et al 2021 PDF

78. Groen, S.C. & N.K. Whiteman (2021). Convergent evolution of cardiac-glycoside resistance in predators and parasites of milkweed herbivores. Current Biology 31:R1465-R1466. Groen & Whiteman 2021 PDF

77. Verster, K.I., R.L. Tarnopol, S.M. Akalu & N.K. Whiteman (2021). Horizontal transfer of microbial toxins genes to gall midge genomes. Genome Biology and Evolution 13:1-13. Verster et al 2021 PDF

76. O’Connor, T.K., M.C. Sandoval, J. Wang, J.C. Hans, R. Takenaka, M. Child VI & N.K. Whiteman (2021). Ecological basis and genetic architecture of crypsis polymorphism in the desert clicker grasshopper (Ligurotettix coquilletti). Evolution 75:2441-2459. O’Connor et al 2021 PDF

75. Whiteman, N.K. & J.N. Peláez (2021). Taste-testing tarsi: Gustatory receptors for glucosinolates in cabbage butterflies. PLoS Genetics [Perspective article] e1009616. Whiteman & Peláez 2021 PDF

74. Whiteman, N.K. & R.T. Tarnopol (2021). Whiteflies weaponize a plant defense via horizontal gene transfer. Cell [Leading Edge article] 184:1657-1658. Whiteman & Tarnopol 2021 PDF

73. Kim, B.Y., J. Wang, D.E. Miller, O. Barmina, E.K. Delaney, A. Thompson, A.A. Comeault, D. Peede, E.R.R. D’Agostino, J. Peláez, J.M. Aguilar, D. Haji, T. Matsunaga, E.E. Armstrong, M. Zych, Y. Ogawa, M. Stamenković-Radak, M. Jelić, M.S. Veselinović, M. Tanasković, P. Erić, J.-J. Gao, T.K. Katoh, M.J. Toda, H. Watabe, M. Watada, J.S. Davis, L.C. Moyle, G. Manoli, E. Bertolini, V. Košťál, R.S. Hawley, A. Takahashi, C.D. Jones, D.K. Price, N.K. Whiteman, A. Kopp, D.R. Matute & D.A. Petrov. (2021) Highly contiguous assemblies of 101 drosophilid genomes. eLife 10:e66405. Kim et al 2021 PDF

72. Mertens, D., K. Boege, A. Kessler, J. Koricheva, J.S. Thaler, N.K. Whiteman & E.H. Poelman (2021). Predictability of biotic stress structures plant defence evolution. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 36: 444-456. Mertens et al 2021 PDF

71. Nabity, P.D., G.A. Barron-Gafford & N.K. Whiteman (2021). Intraspecific competition for host resources in a parasite. Current Biology 31: 1344-1350. Nabity et al 2021 PDF

70. Baltrus, D.A., M. Clark, P.T. Humphrey & N.K. Whiteman (2020). Complete genome sequences for Pseudomonas sp. 29A and 43A. Microbiology Resource Announcements 9:e00845-20. Baltrus et al 2020 PDF

69. Humphrey, P.T. & N.K. Whiteman (2020). Insect herbivory reshapes a native leaf microbiome. Nature Ecology & Evolution 4:221-229. Humphrey & Whiteman 2020 PDF. See Current Biology dispatch on this article by Smetts and Koskella.

68. Karageorgi, M., S.C. Groen, K.I. Verster, J.M. Aguilar, F. Sumbul, A.P. Hastings, J.N. Peláez, S.L. Bernstein, T. Matsunaga, M. Astourian, G. Guerra, F. Rico, S. Dobler, A.A. Agrawal & N.K. Whiteman (2019). Genome editing retraces the evolution of toxin resistance in the monarch butterfly. Nature 574: 409-412. Karageorgi et al 2019 PDF. See also Carl Zimmer’s New York Times article.

67. Gloss, A.D., P. Abbot, N.K. Whiteman (2019). How interactions with plant chemicals shape insect genomes. Current Opinion in Insect Science 36:149-156. Gloss et al 2019 PDF

66. Verster, K.I., J.H. Wisecaver, R.P. Duncan, M. Karageorgi, A.D. Gloss, E. Armstrong, D.K. Price, A.R. Melon, Z.M. Ali, N.K. Whiteman (2019). Horizontal transfer of bacterial cytolethal distending toxin B genes to insects. Molecular Biology and Evolution 36: 2105-2110. Verster et al 2019 PDF

65. O’Connor, T.K., R.G. Laport & N.K. Whiteman (2019). Polyploidy in creosote bush (Larrea tridentata) shapes the distribution and diversity gradients of specialist herbivores. Journal of Biogeography 46:597-610. O’Connor et al 2019 PDF

64. Karageorgi, M., T. Matsunaga, & N.K. Whiteman (2018). Drosophila: Where the wild flies are. Current Biology [Dispatch article] 28: 1382-1384. Karageorgi et al 2018 PDF

63. Alexandre, N.M., P.T. Humphrey, J. Frazier, A.D. Gloss, J. Lee , H.A. Affeldt III & N.K. Whiteman (2018). Habitat preference of an herbivore shapes the habitat distribution of its host plant. Ecosphere 9: 1-10. Alexandre et al 2018 PDF

62. Giron, D., G. Dubreuil, A. Bennett, F. Dedeine, M. Dicke, L.A. Dyer, M. Erb, M.O. Harris, E. Huguet, I. Kaloshian, A. Kawakita, C. Lopez-Vaamonde, T.M. Palmer, T. Petanidou, M. Poulsen, A. Sallé, J-.C. Simon, J.S. Terblanche, D. Thiéry, N.K. Whiteman, H.A. Woods & S. Pincebourde (2018). Promises and challenges in insect–plant–microbe interactions. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata 166: 319-343. Giron et al 2018 PDF

61. Humphrey, P.T.*, A.D. Gloss*, J Frazier, A.C. Nelson Dittrich, S. Faries & N.K. Whiteman (2018). Heritable plant phenotypes track light and herbivory levels at fine spatial scales. Oecologia 187: 427-445. *equal contribution. Humphrey et al 2018 PDF

60. Copetti, D., A. Búrquez, E. Bustamante, J. Charboneau, K.L. Childs, L.E. Equiarte, S. Lee, T.L. Liu, M.M. McMahon, N.K. Whiteman, R. Wing, M.F. Wojciechowski & M.J. Sanderson (2017). Genome evolution in North American columnar cacti was shaped by extensive gene tree discordance and hemiplasy. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA 114: 12003-12008 doi: 10.1073/pnas.1706367114. See also UC Berkeley news coverage. Copetti et al 2017 PDF

59. Groen, S.C., E.R. LaPlante, N.M. Alexandre, A.A. Agrawal, S. Dobler & N.K. Whiteman (2017). Multidrug transporters and organic anion transporting polypeptides protect insects against the toxic effects of cardenolides. Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 81:51-61. Groen et al 2017 PDF

58. Gloss, A.D., S.C. Groen & N.K. Whiteman (2016). A genomic perspective on the generation and maintenance of biodiversity in herbivorous insects. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 47:165-187. Gloss et al 2016 PDF

57. Yule, K.M., J.A.H. Koop, N.M. Alexandre, L.R. Johnston & N.K. Whiteman (2016). Population genetic structure of a vector-borne plant parasite. Molecular Ecology 25: 3332-43. Yule et al 2016 PDF

56. Whiteman, N.K. and A.D. Gloss (2016). Taste for poison reevolves in fruit flies. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA 113: 4558–4560 [Commentary article for Yassin et al. 2016]. Whiteman & Gloss 2016 PDF

55. Humphrey, P.T., A.D. Gloss, N.M. Alexandre, M.M. Villalobos, S.C. Groen, M. Fremgen, L.N. Meihls, G. Jander & N.K. Whiteman (2016). Aversion and attraction to harmful plant secondary compounds jointly shape the foraging ecology of a specialist herbivore. Ecology and Evolution 6: 3256-3268. Humphrey et al 2016 PDF

54. Mandákova, T., A.D. Gloss, N.K. Whiteman & M.A. Lysak (2016). How diploidization turned a tetraploid into a pseudotriploid. American Journal of Botany 103:1-10. Mandákova et al 2016 PDF

53. Groen, S.C. & N.K. Whiteman (2016). Using Drosophila to study the evolution of herbivory and diet specialization. Current Opinion in Insect Science 14:66-72. Groen & Whiteman 2016 PDF

52. Whiteman, N.K. & A.D. Gloss (2016). Balancing selection: walking a tightrope. Current Biology [Dispatch article] 26:73-76. Whiteman & Gloss 2016 PDF

51. Groen, S.C., P.T. Humphrey, D. Chevasco, F.M. Ausubel, N.E. Pierce & N.K. Whiteman (2016). Pseudomonas syringae enhances herbivory by suppressing the reactive oxygen burst in Arabidopsis. Journal of Insect Physiology 84:90-102. Groen et al 2016 PDF

50. Wiens, J.J, R.T. Lapoint & N.K. Whiteman (2015). Herbivory increases diversification across insect clades. Nature Communications 6:8370. Wiens et al 2015 PDF

49. Goldman-Huertas, B., R.F. Mitchell, R.L. Lapoint, C.P. Faucher, J.G. Hildebrand & N.K. Whiteman (2015). Evolution of herbivory in Drosophilidae linked to loss of behaviors, antennal responses, odorant receptors and ancestral diet. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA 112:3026-3031. Goldman-Huertas et al 2015 PDF. Cover feature and see commentary by Dweck et al. in the same issue).

48. Whiteman, N.K. (2014). Box 7.1. Coevolutionary Genomics. In: Mutualism (Editor: J. L. Bronstein). Oxford University Press. 111–114. Whiteman 2014 PDF

47. O’Connor, T.K., P.T. Humphrey, R.L. Lapoint, N.K. Whiteman & P.M. O’Grady (2014). Microbial interactions in the ecology and evolution of Hawaiian Drosophilidae. Frontiers in Microbiology 5:1-8. O’Connor et al 2014 PDF

46. Koop, J.A.H., K. DeMatteo, P.G. Parker & N.K. Whiteman (2014). Birds are islands for parasites. Biology Letters 10: 20140255. Koop et al 2014 PDF

45. Groen, S.C. & N.K. Whiteman (2014). The evolution of ethylene signaling in plant chemical ecology. Journal of Chemical Ecology 40:700-716. Groen & Whiteman 2014 PDF

44. Gloss, A.D., D.G. Vassao, A.L. Hailey, A.C. Nelson Dittrich, K. Schramm, M. Reichelt, T.J. Rast, A. Weichsel, M.G. Cravens, J. Gershenzhon, W.R. Monfort & N.K. Whiteman (2014). Evolution in an ancient detoxification pathway is coupled with a transition to herbivory in the Drosophilidae. Molecular Biology and Evolution 31:2441-2456. Gloss et al 2014 PDF

43. Humphrey, P.T., T.T. Nguyen, M.M. Villalobos & N.K. Whiteman (2014). Diversity and abundance of phyllosphere bacteria are linked to insect herbivory. Molecular Ecology (special issue on Nature’s Microbiome) 23:1497-1515. Humphrey et al 2014 PDF

42. Groen, S.C., N.K. Whiteman, A.K. Bahrami, A.M. Wilczek, J. Cui, J.A. Russell, A. Cibrian-Jaramillo, I.A.E. Butler, J. Rana, G.-H. Huang, J. Bush, F.M. Ausubel & N.E. Pierce (2013). Pathogen-triggered ethylene signaling mediates systemic induced susceptibility to herbivory in Arabidopsis. The Plant Cell 25:4755-4766. Groen et al 2013 PDF

41. Gloss, A.D., A.C. Nelson Dittrich, B. Goldman-Huertas & N.K. Whiteman (2013). Maintenance of genetic diversity through plant-herbivore interactions. Current Opinion in Plant Biology 16:443-450. Gloss et al 2013 PDF

40. Lapoint, R.T., P.M. O’Grady & N.K. Whiteman (2013). Diversification and dispersal of the Hawaiian Drosophilidae: Evolution of Scaptomyza. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 69:95-108. Lapoint et al 2013 PDF

39. Whiteman, N.K., A.D. Gloss, T.B. Sackton, S.C. Groen, P.T. Humphrey, R.T. Lapoint, I. Sønderby, B.A. Halkier, C. Kocks, F.A. Ausubel, & N.E. Pierce (2012). Genes involved in the evolution of herbivory by a leaf-mining drosophilid fly. Genome Biology and Evolution 4:900-916 [cover feature and selected by Faculty of 1000]. Whiteman et al 2012 PDF

38. Thaler, J.S., P.T. Humphrey, & N.K. Whiteman (2012). Evolution of jasmonate and salicylate signal cross-talk. Trends in Plant Science 17:260-270. Thaler et al 2012 PDF

37. Parker, P.G. & N.K. Whiteman (2012). Evolution of Pathogens and Parasites on the Galapagos Islands. In: Conservation of the Galapagos: A 50 Year Experience and Challenges for the Future (Editors: Matthias Wolff & Mark Gardener). Routledge, London. Parker & Whiteman 2012 PDF

36. Whiteman, N.K. & K.A. Mooney. Insects converge on resistance (2012). Nature 489:376-377. (News & Views). Whiteman & Mooney 2012 PDF

35. Lapoint, R. & N. Whiteman (2012). How a bird is an island. BMC Biology 10:53. (Commentary). Lapoint & Whiteman 2012 PDF

34. Whiteman, N.K. Co-infections and the third trophic level (2012). Functional Ecology 26:1-2. (Commentary). Whiteman 2012 PDF

33. Whiteman, N.K., S.C. Groen, D. Chevasco, N. Beckwith, T.R. Gregory, C. Denoux, N. Mammarella, F.M. Ausubel & N.E. Pierce (2011). Mining the plant-insect interface with a leafmining Drosophila of Arabidopsis. Molecular Ecology 20:995-1014. Whiteman et al 2011 PDF. Cover feature and subject of Perspectives Article in the same issue by D. Giron and E. Huguet.

32. Parker, P.G., E. Buckles, N.K. Whiteman, H. Farrington, K. Petren, J.L. Bollmer, G. Jimenez-Uzcategui (2011). 110 Years of Avipoxvirus in the Galapagos Islands. PLOSOne 6(1):e15989. Parker et al 2011 PDF

31. Whiteman, N.K. & Jander, G. (2010). Genome-enabled research on the ecology of plant-insect interactions. Plant Physiology 145:475-478. Whiteman & Jander 2010 PDF

30. Whiteman, N.K. & Gloss, A.D. (2010). Nematode debt to bacteria. Nature 468:641-642 (News & Views). Whiteman & Gloss 2010 PDF

29. Whiteman, N.K., V.S. Dosanjh, R.L. Palma, J.M. Hull, R.T. Kimball, P. Sánchez, J.H. Sarasola & P.G. Parker (2009). Molecular and morphological divergence in a pair of closely related birds and their ectoparasites. Journal of Parasitology 95:1372-1382. Whiteman et al 2009 PDF

28. Peters, M.B., N.K. Whiteman, C. Hagen, P.G. Parker & T.C. Glenn (2009). Eight polymorphic microsatellite markers isolated from the widespread avian louse Colpocephalum turbinatum (Phthiraptera: Amblycera: Menoponidae). Molecular Ecology Resources 9:910-912. Peters et al 2009a PDF

27. Peters, M.B., C. Hagen, N.K. Whiteman, P.G. Parker & T.C. Glenn (2009). Characterization of ten microsatellite loci in the avian louse, Degeeriella regalis (Phthiraptera: Ischnocera: Philopteridae). Molecular Ecology Resources 9:882-884. Peters et al 2009b PDF

26. Peters, M.D., Q-Y. Xiang, D.T. Thomas, J. Stucky & N.K. Whiteman (2009). Genetic analyses of the federally endangered Echinacea laevigata using amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLP): Inferences in population genetic structure and mating system. Conservation Genetics 10:1-14. Peters et al 2009c PDF

25. Whiteman, N.K. (2009). Box 16.5 Functional genetics and genomics. In: Conservation Biology for All (Editors: N.S. Sohdi & P.R. Ehrlich). Oxford University Press. Whiteman 2009 PDF

24. Whiteman, N.K. & N.E. Pierce (2008). Delicious poison: Genetics of Drosophila host plant preference. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 23:473-478. Whiteman & Pierce 2008 PDF

23. Troemel, E.R., M.-A. Félix, N.K. Whiteman, A. Barrière & F.M. Ausubel (2008). Microsporidia are natural intracellular parasites of the nematode C. elegans. PLoS Biology 6: e309 Troemel et al 2008 PDF. Featured in a Primer by J. Hodgkin and F.A. Partridge in the same issue of and a Research Highlights article by A. Jermy in the February 2009 issue of Nature Reviews Microbiology.

22. Whiteman, N.K. & R.W. Sites (2008). Aquatic insects as umbrella species for ecosystem protection in Death Valley National Park. Journal of Insect Conservation 12:499-509. Whiteman & Sites 2008 PDF

21.Hull, J.M., W. Savage, J.L. Bollmer, R.T. Kimball, P.G. Parker, N.K. Whiteman & H.B. Ernest (2008). On the origin of the Galápagos Hawk: An examination of phenotypic differentiation and mitochondrial paraphyly. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 95:779-789. Hull et al 2008 PDF

20. Santiago-Alarcon, D., N.K. Whiteman, P.G. Parker, R.E. Ricklefs & G. Valkiunas (2008). Patterns of parasite abundance and distribution in island populations of Galápagos endemic birds. Journal of Parasitology 94:584-590. Santiago-Alarcon et al 2008 PDF

19. Whiteman, N.K. (2008) Between a whale bone and the deep blue sea: The provenance of dwarf males in whale bone-eating tubeworms. Molecular Ecology 17:4395-4397. (Commentary). Whiteman 2008a PDF

18. Whiteman, N.K. (2008). Lousy heirlooms: Lice help illuminate the recent evolutionary history of an Australian bird. Heredity 101:105-106. (Commentary). Whiteman 2008b PDF

17. Whiteman, N.K., R.T. Kimball & P.G. Parker (2007). Co-phylogeography and comparative population genetics of the threatened Galápagos Hawk and three ectoparasite species: Ecology shapes population histories within parasite communities. Molecular Ecology 22:4759-4773 [cover feature]. Whiteman et al 2007 PDF

16. Merkel, J., H. Jones, N.K. Whiteman, N. Gottdenker, H. Vargas, E. K. Travis, R.E. Miller & P.G. Parker (2007). Microfilariae in Galapagos penguins (Spheniscus mendiculus) and Flightless cormorants (Phalacrocorax harrisi): Genetics, morphology and prevalence. Journal of Parasitology 93:495-503. Merkel et al 2007 PDF

15. Whiteman, N.K., K.D. Matson, J.L. Bollmer & P.G. Parker (2006). Disease ecology in theGalapagos Hawk (Buteo galapagoensis): Host genetic diversity, parasite load and natural antibodies. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B, Biological Sciences 273:797-804 [cover feature]. Whiteman et al 2006a PDF

14. Bollmer, J.L., R.T. Kimball, N.K. Whiteman, J.H. Sarasola & P.G. Parker (2006). Phylogeography of the Galápagos Hawk (Buteo galapagoensis): A recent arrival to the Galápagos Islands. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 39:237-247. Bollmer et al 2006 PDF

13. Whiteman, N.K., P. Sánchez, J. Merkel, H. Klompen & P.G. Parker (2006). Cryptic host specificity of an avian skin mite (Epidermoptidae) vectored by louseflies (Hippoboscidae) associated with two endemic Galápagos bird species. Journal of Parasitology 92:1218-1228. Whiteman et al 2006b PDF

12. Parker, P.G., N.K. Whiteman & E.R. Miller (2006). Conservation medicine on the Galápagos Islands: Partnering behavioral, population and veterinary scientists. Auk 123:625-638. Parker et al 2006 PDF

11. Padilla, L., N.K. Whiteman, J. Merkel, K.D. Huyvaert & P.G. Parker (2006). Health survey of seabirds on Isla Genovesa, Galápagos Islands. Ornithological Monographs 60:86-97. Padilla et al 2006 PDF

10. Whiteman, N.K. & P.G. Parker (2005). Using parasites to infer host population history: A new rationale for parasite conservation. Animal Conservation 8:175-181. Whiteman & Parker 2005 PDF

9. Whiteman, N.K., S.J. Goodman, B.J. Sinclair, T. Walsh, A.A. Cunningham, L.D. Kramer & P.G. Parker (2005). Establishment of the avian disease vector Culex quinquefasciatus Say, 1823 (Diptera: Culicidae) on the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador. Ibis 147:843-847. Whiteman et al 2005 PDF

8. Thiel, T., N.K. Whiteman, A. Tirapé, M. Ines Baquero, V. Cedeño, T. Walsh, G. Jimenez U. & P.G. Parker (2005). Characterization of canarypox-like viruses infecting endemic birds in the Galápagos Islands. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 41:342-353. Thiel et al 2005 PDF

7. Bollmer, J.L., N.K. Whiteman, M. Donaghy Cannon, J.C. Bednarz, T. de Vries & P.G. Parker (2005). Population genetic structure of the Galápagos Hawk: Genetic monomorphism within isolated populations. Auk 122:1210-1224. Bollmer et al 2005 PDF

6. Whiteman, N.K., D. Santiago-Alarcon, K.P. Johnson & P.G. Parker (2004). Differences in straggling rates between two genera of dove lice (Insecta: Phthiraptera) reinforce population genetic and cophylogenetic patterns. International Journal for Parasitology 34:1113-1119. Whiteman et al 2004 PDF

5. Whiteman, N.K. & P.G. Parker (2004). Effects of host sociality on ectoparasite population biology. Journal of Parasitology 90:939-947. Whiteman & Parker 2004a PDF

4. Whiteman, N.K. & P.G. Parker (2004). Body condition and parasite load predict territory ownership in the Galápagos Hawk. Condor 106:916-922. Whiteman & Parker 2004b PDF

3. Whiteman, N.K. & R.W. Sites (2003). Lentic beetles of the Missouri Prairie Region: Habitat and regional associations, with keys to the Hydradephaga. Transactions of the American Entomological Society 129:185-243. Whiteman & Sites 2003 PDF

2. Whiteman, N. & R.W. Sites (2001). Aquatic Polyphaga (Coleoptera) state records from the Prairie Region of Missouri. Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 74:101-105. Whiteman & Sites 2001 PDF

1. Whiteman, N.K. & B.H.P. Landwer (2000). Parasitoids reared from Polistes (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Polistinae) nests in Missouri, with a new state record of Elasmus polistis Burks (Hymenoptera: Elasmidae). Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 73:186-188. Whiteman & Landwer 2000 PDF

Media Interviews & Features

NPR Science Friday – Featured interview and book excerpt

KQED (NPR) Forum with Mina Kim – Discussing Most Delicious Poison

Futureproof Podcast – DiscussingMost Delicious Poison

This Podcast Will Kill You – Discussing Most Delicious Poison

Foodie Pharmacology Podcast with Dr. Cassandra Quave – Discussing Most Delicious Poison

Inquiring Minds with Indre Verma – Discussing Delicious Poison

Business Insider – Interview on poisonous houseplants

UC Berkeley Research News – Feature interview

Book Talks & Speaking Events

Normal L. Ford Science Literacy Lecture Series – Saint John’s University

The Providence Athenaeum Book Talk

Harvard Science Book Talk with Ryan Nett – Harvard University

UC Berkeley Library Book Talk – Morrison Library (March 5, 2025)

UC Botanical Garden Book Talk – UC Berkeley

Nerd Nite SF

KALX 90.7FM Fiat Lux Redux Radio Interview

Reviews & Recognition

The New York Times – “[Most Delicious Poison] feel[s] like a riveting lecture by a passionate professor.”

The Wall Street Journal – “The plants in Most Delicious Poison: The Story of Nature’s Toxins—From Spices to Vices come off as very smart, even cunning… a spirited debut.”

Current Biology – “Establishes [Whiteman] as a natural historian with great breadth and depth. He delivers a compendium of knowledge on plant poisons with fascinating details on their chemistry, physiological effects, ecology, and evolution.”

Evolution – “Most Delicious Poison shows how we are mere bystanders in chemical warfare between plants, microbes, fungi, animals, and the organisms that threaten them—a conflict almost as old as life itself.”

Nature – “The stories Whiteman chooses are often complex… but the author deftly navigates readers through nature’s chemical mazes… The author’s passion for his subject matter comes through on almost every page of Most Delicious Poison.”

Scientific American – “Biologist Noah Whiteman’s exacting yet expansive analysis reminds us that although they ‘permeate our lives in the most mundane and profound ways,’ the toxic chemicals we use every day are not nature’s gifts to us but rather its munitions.”

Publishers Weekly – “This amusing debut from Whiteman, an evolutionary biology professor at UC Berkeley, explores the ‘ways that toxins from nature arose, have been used by us humans and other animals, and have consequently changed the world.'”

Booklist – “Whiteman’s provocative volume will make the reader think differently about familiar substances like coffee, cayenne, and cocaine.”

The Spectator – “A kaleidoscope of facts and historical vignettes, both of how plant chemicals work, and how humans learned to harness some of them… Like balancing the dose of a drug, he goes just to the edge of ‘too technical’ and brings it back to comprehensible for the non-scientist.”

New Scientist – “Well worth a read. Spare the time to mull over each chapter for slightly longer than you might otherwise, if just to let the poison sink in.”

Daily Mail – “Most Delicious Poison is full of illuminating insights into the natural world and the plants that have shaped us.”

Science News – Selected as Top 20 Science Book of 2023 – “Pour a cup of herbal tea, add some drops of lavender oil to the diffuser and enjoy this mind-bending read.”

Kirkus Reviews – Awarded Kirkus Star and Best Nonfiction Book of 2023 – “A fascinating discussion of how nature’s toxins can affect us all.”

NPR Science Friday – Staff Pick for 2023

Other Public Engagement

Television & Documentary

Lead Evolutionary Biologist, PBS Series “Genius by Stephen Hawking: What are We?” Episode | Educational Lesson

PBS News Hour on March for Science

Radio

NPR Morning Edition feature on parasite genetics research

Major Print & Online Media

Qanta: “The Ancient Weapons in Your Immune System Today” (Viviane Callier) Discussion with Viviane Callier for Qanta Magazine on horizontal gene transfer of immune effectors in animals

Genes to Genomes (Genetics Society of America): “An Evolutionary Geneticist Studies Coevolution in Unprecidented Detail” (Caitlan Rossi)

New York Times: “While Other Insects Played, This Species Evolved the Blade” (Carolyn Wilke)

New York Times: “These Butterflies Evolved to Eat Poison. How Could That Have Happened?” (Carl Zimmer)

Scientific American: “How Monarch Butterflies Evolved to Eat a Poisonous Plant” (Tim Vernimmen)

Science Magazine: “How monarch butterfly evolved its resistance to toxic milkweed” (Elizabeth Pennisi)

Science Magazine: “Ancient arms race has helped insects gain resistance to pesticides again and again” (Elizabeth Pennisi)

University & Research Coverage

UC Berkeley News: “Fly vs. wasp: Stealing a defense move helps thwart a predator” (Robert Sanders)

UC Berkeley News: “CRISPR’d flies mimic monarch butterfly and could make you puke” (Robert Sanders)

UC Berkeley News: “Saguaro and other towering cacti have a scrambled history” (Robert Sanders)

UC Berkeley News: “‘The freedom to be fully human’: A Berkeley biology professor’s take on Pride and thriving in academia” (Anne Brice)

UC Berkeley News: “A biology prof on growing up gay in Minnesota” (Anne Brice)