THE CLOTFELTER LAB @ AMHERST COLLEGE
ABOUT US
The Clotfelter Lab at Amherst College is committed to creating an environment in which all students are equally and inclusively supported in their education and research training.
We are broadly interested in animal behavior, physiology, and functional morphology. Most of our current work focuses on a long-term study of tree swallows (Tacycineta bicolor) breeding in Western Massachusetts and on convict cichlid fish (Amatitlania nigrofasciata) in Central America. We also study biomechanics and behavior in crayfish (Procambarus and Faxonius spp.).
Ethan Clotfelter, Ph.D.
Professor of Biology
edclotfelter [at] amherst.edu
Ethan attended the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill before getting his M.S. and Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He has spent most of his career studying birds before starting projects on fish and crayfish. He joined the faculty at Amherst College in 2003, and is now the Rufus Tyler Lincoln Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies. He is married with three children (one in college, two recently graduated!) and enjoys hiking, running, and canoeing with his family and dog, cycling, and sometimes scuba diving.
2025-2026 lab members
TBD
The Clotfelter lab is quiet this year while Ethan finishes a stint as department chair, but will reopen at full strength in 2026!
