YICHAO ZENG 曾逸超

YICHAO ZENG 曾逸超

Bio

On my résumé, I am a postdoctoral researcher.
In my mind, I am an evolutionary ecologist.
But in my heart, I am a naturalist.
— in the style of Satoru Iwata (1959-2015)

I have long been interested in the interface between macroevolution and species interactions. This interest has developed into an interest in evolutionary community ecology. I was previously a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Arizona, where I developed a cophylogenetic method for estimating macroevolutionary rates of species interactions such as mutualism and parasitism.

My fruitful time at the University of Arizona has come to an end in May 2025. Starting in late 2025, I am a Université PSL - Paris Sciences et Lettres - Junior Research Chair Fellow in Hélène Morlon's group at École Normale Supérieure. I am working on a model for how species interaction networks (such as those formed by mutualisms and parasitisms) emerge from eco-evolutionary processes in a (meta)community context. This mechanistic model will be used to make inferences about real-world species interaction networks, and it may have implications for the stability and resilience of species interaction networks in a changing world.

While I believe in the intrinsic value of fundamental research, I am especially delighted when science can help to understand biodiversity conservation or public health issues in the real world.

You can find my CV here.

Research areas: Species interactions, Macroevolution, Evolutionary community ecology

In Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument