
Charles Fenster
Oak Lake Field Station Director / Natural Resource Management Affiliate Professor
Education
- University of Chicago
- Amherst College
- Stuyvesant High School, New York City
Academic and Professional Experience
Academic Interests
Academic Interests
- Landscape ecology
Research and Scholarly Work
Areas of Research
Evolutionary biologist Charles Fenster uses plants as model organisms to quantify evolutionary process. His main research themes are the genetics of adaptation, the contribution of mutation to selection response and quantifying pollinator-mediated selection on floral form and function. He is applying this work toward the conservation genetics of small populations through genetic rescue, the role of mutations in the evolution of pesticide and herbicide resistance and to sustainable agriculture through the positive interactions between oil crops and native pollinators and honey bees.
Awards and Honors
- 2016-2018, treasurer, American Institute of Biological Sciences
- 2008-2010, executive vice president, Society for the Study of Evolution
Grants
- Fenster, B. C., Leffler, J., Nottebrock, H., Sieverding, H. and Stone, J. Stormwater management and ecosystem health: The complementary role of green infrastructure in urban environments. U.S. Geological Survey 104, May 1, 2018, $12,500.
- Bachmann, A., Fenster, C., Lundgren, J., Rand, T., Sieverding, H. and Stone, J. Quantifying the contribution of native and non-native pollinators to Brassica carinata yield and B. carinata's impact on pollinator health. North Central Sun Grant (U.S. Department of Energy), Jan. 1, 2017, $140,000.
- Dudash, M., Fenster, C., Zhou, J. and Zimmer, E. Quantifying pollinator mediated sexual conflict in Silene stellata. National Science Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant, July 1, 2015, $18,000.
- Fenster, C., Rutter, M., Weigel, D. and Wright, S. “Collaborative: RUI: The natural history of mutations: sequence and fitness data from Arabidopsis thaliana mutation accumulation lines.†July 15, 2013-July 15, 2017, $759,753.