Zach Zbinden

Dr. Zbinden is an assistant professor at the Appalachian Laboratory, where he conducts basic and applied research on the distribution and dynamics of biodiversity. Using fieldwork, laboratory methods, and advanced analytics, he approaches biodiversity from a “genes to ecosystems” perspective, advocating for multispecies population genomic research to address ecological questions at broad scales. Although he specializes in freshwater fish communities across entire watersheds, his interests span a wide range of taxa and systems.

A primary goal of Dr. Zbinden’s work is to support conservation and management efforts, providing insights that can guide the protection of species and ecosystems. His current research focuses on increasing species resilience to climate change by amplifying natural adaptations already present within populations. Through this work, he seeks to leverage nature’s own tools to boost climate resilience without introducing artificial modifications, contributing to a nature-based approach to conservation in a warming world.