Evelyn Rynkiewicz, PhD
Education
BS, University of Wisconsin–Madison
PhD, Indiana University
2024–25 FIT Faculty Excellence Award
Biography
Dr. Evelyn Rynkiewicz is an award-winning instructor, specializing in innovative biology and ecology courses aimed at increasing science literacy and interest in non-science major students. She collaborates with scientists, designers, and artists to develop new tools, labs, and activities suited to the unique needs of FIT students. She also coordinates the minor in Ethics and Sustainability and integrates the philosophy of interdisciplinary sustainability into all her courses. As the faculty advisor for the Biodesign program, Dr. Rynkiewicz advises students in the development of innovative projects combining science and design to creatively solve current and future problems in sustainability, supporting these students to present at the annual Biodesign Challenge Summit competition.
Before coming to FIT, Dr. Rynkiewicz earned her PhD from Indiana University and subsequently conducted research as a postdoctoral research scientist at the University of Edinburgh (National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Research Fellow) and Columbia University. A disease ecologist by training, her research investigates co-infection in wild mice, focusing on how parasites and pathogens interact with each other and with the host immune system. She collaborates with ecologists, bioinformaticians, and immunologists to address her research questions.
Selected Publications
K.H. Nguyen, E.C. Rynkiewicz, D.J. Civitello. 2022. Simulating parasite transmission and epidemics using contact networks. Advances in Biology Laboratory Education. Volume 42, Article 13.
Rynkiewicz, Evelyn C., Fenton, A., & Pedersen, A. B. 2019. Linking community assembly and structure across scales in a wild mouse parasite community. Ecology and Evolution. doi:10.1002/ece3.5785
Rynkiewicz, Evelyn C., Melanie Clerc, Simon Babayan, and Amy B. Pedersen. 2019. Variation in local and systemic pro-inflammatory immune markers of wild wood mice after anthelminthic treatment. Integrative and Comparative Biology. doi.org/10.1093/icb/icz136
Babayan, S. A., W. Liu, G. Hamilton, E. Kilbride, E. C. Rynkiewicz, M. Clerc, and A. B. Pedersen. 2018. The Immune and Non-Immune Pathways That Drive Chronic Gastrointestinal Helminth Burdens in the Wild. Frontiers in Immunology. 9(56).
Rynkiewicz, Evelyn C.*, Julia Brown*, Danielle M. Tufts, Ching-I Huang, Helge Kampen, Stephen J. Bent, Durland
Fish, and Maria A. Diuk-Wasser. 2017. Closely-related Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto strains exhibit similar fitness in single infections and asymmetric
competition in multiple infections. Parasites & Vectors. 10(1), 64. doi:10.1186/s13071-016-1964-9
*authors contributed equally to this work
Rynkiewicz, Evelyn C., Chris Hemmerich, Doug Rusch, Clay Fuqua and Keith Clay. 2015a. Concordance of bacterial communities of two tick species and blood of their shared rodent host. Molecular Ecology. 24: 2566-2579.
Rynkiewicz, Evelyn C., Amy Pedersen, and Andy Fenton. An ecosystem approach to understanding and managing within-host parasite community dynamics. 2015b. Trends in Parasitology. 31: 212-221.
Rynkiewicz, Evelyn C. and Keith Clay. Tick community composition in Midwestern US habitats in relation to sampling method and environmental conditions. 2014. Experimental and Applied Acarology. 64:109-119.
Rynkiewicz, Evelyn C., Hadas Hawlena, Lance A. Durden, Michael W. Hastriter, Greg Demas, and Keith Clay. 2013. Associations between innate immune function and ectoparasites in wild rodent hosts. Parasitology Research. 112:1763-1770.
Conferences and Presentations
“Creating a supportive and rigorous biodesign classroom for non-science major students”: Biodesign Symposium: Parsons – The New School, June 11th 2025, Organizer of two “Lunch and Learn” teaching workshops: “Teaching large enrollment classes” and “Incorporating research projects into courses”: Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Disease conference: June 24-27, 2024, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA
Invited speaker: Deborah Berhanu and Evelyn Rynkiewicz: Designing Equitable and Inclusive Science Courses for Non-Science Majors: Nontraditional Employment & Training Conference: Pedagogical Tools & Curricular Reforms: Creating Inclusive Classrooms and Campus Spaces for Students Pursuing Gender Nontraditional Fields of Study (April 25, 2024)
Deborah Berhanu and Evelyn Rynkiewicz: “Designing an Equitable and Inclusive Science Course for Diverse Non-Major Students”: SUNY DEISJ Conference, Nov. 3-4, 2023, SUNY-Albany
Organizer and co-presenter of teaching workshop: Teaching Diseases: active learning, creative syllabi, and sharing experiences in the classroom: Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Disease conference: May 22-25, 2023, Penn State University
K.H. Nguyen, E.C. Rynkiewicz, D.J. Civitello. “Simulating parasite transmission and epidemics using contact networks.” Major synchronous lab (Online.): Virtual Conference of the Association for Biology Laboratory Education: June 17-25 2021.
Invited talk in symposium “Infectious Lessons: Teaching Disease Ecology”: Ecological Society of America: (2021)
Interdisciplinary Poster presentation “Drawing in the Lecture Hall” with Illustration Prof. Brendan Leach: Education and Illustration: Models Methods Paradigms, 11th Illustration Research Symposium (2021)
Teaching workshop organizer “Using drawing to teach and learn”, Co-presenter with Brendan Leach (FIT Illustration MFA Program Chair): Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Disease meeting, June 10-13, 2019, Princeton University
Grants
2023: National Science Foundation, Integrative Organismal Systems Core Programs, Integrative Ecological Physiology Program Collaborative Research: Scaling of neutrophil functions in terrestrial mammals; PI: Cynthia J Downs (SUNY-ESF), Co-PI: J. Brinkworth, A. Koenig, Evelyn Rynkiewicz; Total Budget: $1,609,678 (unpaid collaborator)
2018, 2019, 2023 FIT Center for Teaching and Learning Faculty Development Grant Awards
2013 NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology ($157,000)
2011 NSF Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant ($14,952)
2009 Indiana Academy of Science Senior Research Grant ($2,774)
Media Coverage
FIT Newsroom: Female Science Professors Discuss Inclusive Classrooms at SUNY Conference
New York Academy of Medicine Library: When Inspiration Strikes
New York Academy of Medicine Library: FIT Visits the NYAM Library
WWD: Amber Valletta Says Biodesign ‘Needs People on Every Side of It’ to Really Scale Circularity
FIT Newsroom: The Promise of Animal-Free, Plastic-Free Fur
Courses
- SC 101 Biodesign - Innovation at the Intersection of Science and Design
- SC 122 Field Biology
- SC 203 Disease Ecology in a Changing World
- SC 253 Ecology and Environmental Problems