Prof. Carlin
Assistant Professor Carlin

Aquatic Ecology, Conservation, and Molecular Phylogenetics

Telephone (507) 933-6305, E-mail: jcarlin@gustavus.edu


Originally from Indiana, Joel Carlin received his B.S. in marine biology from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and a M.S. in zoology from Louisiana State University, where he studied salamander evolution in the southeastern U.S. Joel then became a marine biologist for the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources for three years, where he worked on stock identification in the newly developed wreckfish fishery. He then received a Ph.D. in fisheries from the University of Florida for his work on the systematics and population genetics of groupers, a diverse subfamily of commercially valuable tropical fishes. You can consult his curriculum vitae for details about his career.

Dr. Carlin taught genetics recitations for three years while a graduate student in Louisiana, and later taught conservation biology for the University of Florida honors program. He spent three years in eastern Washington state at Whitman College, teaching a variety of classes including conservation biology, fisheries, island biogeography, evolution, marine biology, genetics, and introductory plant biology.

At Gustavus, Dr. Carlin teaches the introductory courses Bio 101 Principles of Biology (Fall) and Bio 102 Organismal Biology (Spring). In alternate years he teaches Bio 383 Aquatic Biology (Fall) and the nonmajors Bio 100 Fish and Fisheries (Spring). For his outlook on teaching, and class descriptions, look at his teaching page.

A strong believer in the benefits of undergraduate research, Dr. Carlin has mentored undergraduate projects on an adaptive radiation of snails from African rift lakes, phylogenetic reconstruction of west African HIV strains, and speciation in tropical plants. Additional teaching interests include international biodiversity, marine biology, fisheries biology, herpetology and bioethics. He also participates in talks to schoolchildren and the community. Dr. Carlin is the chair of the American Fisheries Society Web Advisory Board, maintains the AFS Genetics section newsletter and has been a grant reviewer for the North Pacific Research Board.