Devon DeRaad

Assistant Professor, Richard Gilder Graduate School

Devon DeRaad stands outside on a rainy day, wearing a hooded jacket and holding a bird perched on his right hand.
Download Curriculum Vitae

Education

  • Occidental College, Bachelor of Arts, 2017
  • University of Kansas, PhD, 2024

Research Interests

I am an evolutionary biologist with a passion for using genetics to reveal how evolution has shaped the biodiversity around us here on earth. I use genetic sequencing from wild bird populations to reveal the fundamental rules of life governing the creation and maintenance of global biodiversity. In particular, I use introduced populations, hybrid zones, and isolated island populations as models for understanding the evolutionary forces that control the processes of speciation and extinction. Particular areas of interest include avian hybrid zones in the North American Great Plains, and the birds of the Pacific Islands.

Links:

Lab website

BlueSky

Publications

(Select)

  • DeRaad DA, Alderson JD, Geiman CO, DeCicco LH, Moyle RG, Spellman GM, & Aguillon SM (2025). Strong selection maintains a narrow, stable tension zone between grosbeak species in the Great Plains. Evolution, 79 (11), 2563-2574.
  • DeRaad DA, Files AN, DeCicco LH, Martin RP, McCullough JM, Holland P, Pikacha D, Tigulu IG, Boseto D, Lavery TH, Andersen MJ, & Moyle RG (2024). Genomic patterns in the dwarf kingfishers of northern Melanesia reveal a mechanistic framework explaining the paradox of the great speciators. Evolution Letters, 8(6), 813-827.
  • DeRaad DA, McCullough JM, DeCicco LH, Hime PM, Joseph L, Andersen MJ, & Moyle RG (2023). Mitonuclear discordance results from incomplete lineage sorting, with no detectable evidence for gene flow, in a rapid radiation of Todiramphus kingfishers. Molecular Ecology, 32(17), 4844-4862.
  • DeRaad DA, McCormack JE, Chen NA, Peterson AT, & Moyle RG (2022). Combining species delimitation, species trees, and tests for gene flow clarifies complex speciation in scrub-jays. Systematic Biology, 71(6), 1453-1470.

Teaching Experience

  • Graduate Teaching Assistant, KU Bio 370: Introduction to Biostats - Fall 2023, Spring 2024
  • SNP filtering workshop, American Ornithological Society meeting - August 2023
  • Developed and led RADseq analysis graduate seminar course - Fall 2022
  • REU field instructor for Solomon Islands field course - June 2019