Rate My Professor Jessica Purcell

Purcell's research examines the ecology and genetics of social arthropods, integrating population genomics, field ecology, manipulative experiments, and modeling to understand drivers of social organization transitions. Her lab studies social spiders in the genus Anelosimus, socially polymorphic ants in the genus Formica, and yellowjacket wasps Vespula pensylvanica. Key contributions include identifying ecological factors like rainfall, predator abundance, floods, and pathogens influencing social structure; discovering supergenes controlling ant social organization; and exploring task partitioning, hybridization, and mate choice in social insects. Notable publications comprise 'An ancient and eroded social supergene is widespread across Formica ants' (Current Biology, 2020, with Alan Brelsford et al.), 'Convergent genetic architecture underlies social organization in ants' (Current Biology, 2014), 'Maternal effect killing by a supergene controlling ant social organization' (PNAS, in press as of 2020), and 'Ant brood function as life preservers during floods' (PLoS ONE, 2014). She has secured major funding including the NSF CAREER Award (2020, $750,000), USDA NIFA grant (2019, $1,000,000 as PI), Binational Science Foundation Grant (2018, $270,000), NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (2004-2008, $90,000), and Fulbright Fellowship (2005, $12,500). Purcell serves on the editorial boards of Neotropical Biodiversity (since 2019) and Biology Letters (since 2017), and on UCR committees such as the Entomology Teaching Evaluation Committee (since 2017) and Student Curriculum and Admissions Committee (2015-2019). She has mentored numerous Ph.D. students and received the Entomological Society of America Distinction in Student Mentoring Award in 2022.