• Michele Johnson joined the Department of Biology in 2009, after completing her Ph.D. in evolutionary biology at Washington University and postdoctoral work in behavioral neuroscience at Michigan State University. Johnson teaches courses on evolution, and her research focuses on the evolution of lizard behavior and the physiological mechanisms that underlie behavior. She is deeply committed to equity and inclusion in STEM.

    • Ph.D., Washington University in St. Louis
    • B.S., Wake Forest University 

    • Trejo-Reveles, V.†, M.A. Johnson†, F.F. Patterson*, G.E. Anderson*, Z. Wu, A.R. Johnston, S.L. Meddle. 2026. Artificial light at night disrupts circadian and metabolic gene expression in the green anole lizard (Anolis carolinensis). Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 293: 20252462. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2025.2462
    • Kahrl, A.F., H.R. Hall*, I.R. Carson*, M.A. Johnson. 2025. The evolution of testis architecture and sperm size in Anolis lizards. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 144: blaf016. https://doi.org/10.1093/biolinnean/blaf016
    • Horr, D.M.*, A.A. Payne*, K.D. McEntire, M.A. Johnson. 2023. Sexual dimorphism in dynamic body color in the green anole lizard. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 77:34 10.1007/s00265-023-03308-8
    • Taylor, L.A.*, C.J. Thawley, O.R. Pertuit*, A.J. Dennis*, I.R. Carson*, C. Tang*, M.A. Johnson. 2022. Artificial light at night alters diurnal and nocturnal behavior and physiology in green anole lizards. Physiology & Behavior 257: 113992. 10.1016/j.physbeh.2022.113992
    • Johnson, M.A.†, A. Kamath†, R. Kirby*, C.C. Fresquez*, S. Wang*, C.M. Stehle*, A.R. Templeton, J.B. Losos. 2021. What determines paternity in wild lizards? Spatiotemporal analyses of behavior and morphology. Integrative and Comparative Biology 61: 634-642. https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/icab115

    * denotes Trinity undergraduate co-author

    How does behavior evolve? The Johnson lab group is interested in the ecological factors that influence social behaviors and the physiological mechanisms that underlie those behaviors. Most of our lab’s work focuses on the diversity of lizards that occur at our local field sites in south-central Texas, while other projects explore Caribbean lizards in the genus Anolis. We use field observations, laboratory experiments, molecular genetics, neuroendocrine techniques, and comparative methodology to explore behavioral evolution.

    • Integrative Biology
    • Evolution
    • Vertebrate Biology
    • The Darwinian Revolution
    • First Year Experience

    Grants

    • Royal Society of Edinburgh Reference 6088. Lighting up photoreceptors in the anole lizard brain: Investigating the effects of light on seasonal breeding. 2026-2027. £9,779
    • Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Inclusive Excellence 3 (ie3). Processes and methods to foster institutional change toward more inclusive and equitable introductory STEM education. $561,600. Ie3 program abruptly terminated in Feburary 2025.
    • National Science Foundation IOS 1257021. RUI: Behavioral convergence in Caribbean lizards: morphological and physiological mechanisms. 2013-2018. $515,000.
    • Texas Ecolab. 2010-2026. Thirteen grants totaling over $140,000

    Awards

    • 2026 - Trinity University’s Denise L. Jones Award for Inclusive Excellence
    • 2022 - Trinity University’s “Trinity Tomorrow” Award, for efforts toward inclusive pedagogy
    • 2019 - Trinity University’s “Best of the Best” Faculty Award
    • 2018 - President’s Award for Excellence in Student Advocacy, Trinity University
    • 2015 - Junior Faculty Award for Distinguished Teaching and Research, Trinity University
    • 2014 - Outstanding Mentor Award, Early Career, Council on Undergraduate Research, Biology Division

    Trinity University Involvement

    • Faculty Senate
    • SACNAS faculty advisor
    • Major Scholarships and Fellowships Committee

    Community Involvement

    • Animal Behavior Society - Program Officer
    • Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology - Associate Editor
    • Viva Science in SA!