Rate My Professor Sean Menke

Sean Menke serves as Professor of Biology and Chair of the Biology Department at Lake Forest College. He holds a PhD in Biology from the University of California, San Diego (2007), an MS in Zoology from the University of Oklahoma, Norman (2002), and a BA in Biology from the University of Minnesota, Morris (1999). Prior to his faculty position, he was a Post-doctoral Fellow at North Carolina State University. Since joining Lake Forest College, Menke has progressed to full professor status, having earned tenure and the title of Associate Professor on December 14, 2015. In addition to his academic role, he acts as the Faculty Athletics Representative to the Midwest Conference.

Menke's academic interests center on community ecology, biogeography, urban ecology, and myrmecology. His research examines ant community responses to urbanization, biological invasions, climate change, and ecological disturbances such as periodical cicada emergences. Notable projects include historical resurveys of Argentine ant invasions in southern California, ant diversity on urban green roofs, and the impacts of restoration and prescribed burns on grassland ant communities. He has authored or co-authored numerous peer-reviewed publications, including "Climatic drivers of hemispheric asymmetry in global patterns of ant species richness" (Ecology Letters, 2009; 355 citations), "Relative roles of climatic suitability and anthropogenic influence in determining the pattern of spread in a global invader" (PNAS, 2011; 204 citations), "Abiotic factors control invasion by Argentine ants at the community scale" (Journal of Animal Ecology, 2006; 191 citations), and recent works such as "Historical resurveys provide support for abiotic limits to Argentine ant invasion in southern California" (Biological Invasions, 2025) and "Urbanisation dampens the latitude-diversity cline in ants" (Insect Conservation and Diversity, 2022). With over 2,284 citations on Google Scholar, his contributions have significantly impacted invasion biology and urban ecology. In 2025, Menke received a three-year National Science Foundation grant totaling $364,196 for his share, to investigate ant interactions with periodical cicadas, involving collaborations with researchers at George Washington University and Georgetown University and supporting undergraduate student research. He teaches advanced courses including Invasion Ecology, Community Ecology, Biogeography, and Herpetology.