About
Dr. Relyea completed his PhD at the University of Michigan in 1999 and spent the next 15 years as a professor at the University of Pittsburgh. In 2014, he moved to Rensselaer to become the Director of the Darrin Fresh Water Institute and the Director of The Jefferson Project at Lake George. In July 2022, he stepped down from being a director to go on a sabbatical.
Ph.D. The University of Michigan, 1999 - Biology
M.S. Texas Tech University, 1992 - Wildlife Science
B.S. SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry, 1989 - Environmental and Forest Biology
Research
Our research group combines long-term field surveys, experiments, and computer models to investigate topics related to understanding and protecting freshwater ecosystems. Our areas of interest are wide ranging: community ecology, limnology, ecotoxicology, phenotypic plasticity, sexual selection, animal mating systems, forest inputs to wetlands, disease ecology, and invasive species. We approach this work from multiple disciplines and we work with a diversity of aquatic organisms.
Ecology, Disease ecology, Ecotoxicology, Evolution, Animal behavior
Teaching
By appointment
BIOL 4850 - Principles of Ecology
A study of the fundamental principles of the ecology of plants and animals. Interrelationships between organisms and their environments are discussed as well as material and energy balances in the ecosystem. Emphasis on the biology of populations (producers, consumers, and decomposers).
Publications
The following is a selection of recent publications in Scopus. Rick Relyea has 204 indexed publications in the subjects of Environmental Science, Agricultural and Biological Sciences, Medicine.