{"685709":{"#nid":"685709","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Mapping Evolution: James Stroud Named 2025 Packard Fellow","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sites.gatech.edu\/stroudlab\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EJames Stroud\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E has been named a\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.packard.org\/approach\/fellowships-for-science-engineering\/\u0022\u003E2025 Packard Fellow\u003C\/a\u003E for his pioneering research in evolutionary biology. Stroud, Elizabeth Smithgall-Watts Early Career Assistant Professor in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Biological Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E, will receive $875,000 over five years to fund his work on \u201cLizard Island\u201d in South Florida. His goal? To create evolution\u2019s first high-definition map \u2014 with the help of 1,000 backpack-wearing lizards.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EAwarded annually to just 20 individuals by the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.packard.org\/\u0022\u003EDavid and Lucile Packard Foundation\u003C\/a\u003E, Packard Fellowships for Science and Engineering support researchers pursuing cutting-edge research and ambitious goals. \u201cThese visionary Packard Fellows are pushing the boundaries of knowledge, and their bold ideas will become tomorrow\u2019s real-world solutions,\u201d says\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003ENancy Lindborg\u003C\/strong\u003E, president and CEO of the Packard Foundation \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.packard.org\/2025fellows\u0022\u003Ein a recent press release\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThe flexible funding allows researchers to maximize their creativity and ingenuity. Stroud will spend the next five years transforming Lizard Island into the world\u2019s premier evolutionary observatory, merging groundbreaking technology with long-term field research.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EOn Lizard Island, that means equipping every lizard with an ultra-lightweight sensor \u201cbackpack.\u201d Although the sensors weigh just six-hundredths of a gram each \u2014 the same as two grains of rice \u2014 when combined with innovations in mapping technology, they will help Stroud investigate the role that behavior plays in driving evolution in the wild.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cI\u2019m incredibly honored to be named a 2025 Packard Fellow,\u201d says Stroud. \u201cThis support allows me to pursue a question that has fascinated evolutionary biologists for centuries: how does behavior shape evolution? It\u2019s a transformative opportunity, and I\u2019m deeply grateful to the Packard Foundation for believing in the potential of this work.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETiny sensors, big questions\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EBegun in 2015, Stroud\u2019s work on Lizard Island is one of the longest-running evolutionary studies of its kind: for the last 10 years, he has carefully caught and released every lizard on the island, measuring evolution through documenting their body characteristics, habitat use, and survival.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThrough his studies, he has captured\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/when-two-lizards-meet-first-time-scientists-witness-evolution-action\u0022\u003Eevolution in action\u003C\/a\u003E, but monitoring and measuring behavior in evolutionary studies has historically been an extremely difficult and elusive task. The problem? While smaller animals tend to have higher population densities and reproduce more quickly (making them ideal candidates for evolutionary field studies), it has been difficult to find durable and long-lasting sensors small enough for these animals to carry.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cThis has been a missing link because behavior is a critical component of evolution,\u201d Stroud says. \u201cBehavior can both expose individuals to \u2014 or shield them from \u2014 natural selection. For example, an animal with a less favorable trait, like bad eyesight, could change its behavior to avoid situations where it is disadvantaged.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cThese decisions can ultimately determine whether they survive and reproduce in the wild, directly influencing the outcome of natural selection. However, until now, we just haven\u2019t had the technology to measure these types of extremely intricate behaviors across many individuals before.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMapping the future\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EStroud won\u2019t just know exactly where each lizard is \u2014 he\u2019ll also create a detailed three-dimensional map of the entire island using remote sensing technology called LiDAR, updating it each year. \u201cBy shooting millions of laser beams, we can create a highly detailed three-dimensional map of Lizard Island, capturing the shape of every branch, rock, and blade of grass on the island,\u201d he explains. \u201cWhen connected to our lizard backpacks, we\u2019ll know the exact microhabitats and resources available to each lizard as they move through this environment.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EStroud will also deploy hundreds of microclimate sensors to understand how species are reacting to changes in temperature and climate. The result will be the world\u2019s first comprehensive database: a record of minute lizard movements, the resources each individual uses, daily interactions, and changes in the environment spanning seasons and years.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cFor evolutionary scientists, it has been seemingly impossible to track the moment-by-moment decisions of individual organisms\u2026 until now,\u201d he says.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cToday, it\u2019s possible to study what Darwin could only dream of \u2014 evolution occurring in real time,\u201d Stroud adds. \u201cBehavior is a critical component of evolution, understanding evolution is critical to understanding life on Earth, and understanding life on Earth is more important than ever.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe award will support Stroud as he creates evolution\u2019s first high-definition map \u2014 with the help of 1,000 backpack-wearing lizards.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The award will support Stroud as he creates evolution\u2019s first high-definition map \u2014 with the help of 1,000 backpack-wearing lizards."}],"uid":"35599","created_gmt":"2025-10-14 15:33:34","changed_gmt":"2025-10-22 00:44:10","author":"sperrin6","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-10-15T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2025-10-15T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"678350":{"id":"678350","type":"image","title":"A lizard wearing one of the sensors, which weigh just three-hundredths of a gram each \u2014 the same as a two grains of rice. (Credit: Jon Suh)","body":"\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EA lizard wearing one of the sensors, which weigh just three-hundredths of a gram each \u2014 the same as a two grains of rice. (Credit: Jon Suh)\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1760456026","gmt_created":"2025-10-14 15:33:46","changed":"1760546990","gmt_changed":"2025-10-15 16:49:50","alt":"A lizard wearing one of the sensors, which weigh just three-hundredths of a gram each \u2014 the same as a two grains of rice. (Credit: Jon Suh)","file":{"fid":"262368","name":"AB4A1966.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/10\/14\/AB4A1966.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/10\/14\/AB4A1966.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2677038,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/10\/14\/AB4A1966.jpg?itok=AFpraiZV"}},"678351":{"id":"678351","type":"image","title":"Stroud will spend the next five years transforming Lizard Island into the world\u2019s premier evolutionary observatory (Credit: Jon Suh)","body":"\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EStroud will spend the next five years transforming Lizard Island into the world\u2019s premier evolutionary observatory (Credit: Jon Suh)\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1760456026","gmt_created":"2025-10-14 15:33:46","changed":"1760547098","gmt_changed":"2025-10-15 16:51:38","alt":"Stroud will spend the next five years transforming Lizard Island into the world\u2019s premier evolutionary observatory (Credit: Jon Suh)","file":{"fid":"262369","name":"AB4A2042.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/10\/14\/AB4A2042.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/10\/14\/AB4A2042.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":9084848,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/10\/14\/AB4A2042.jpg?itok=xnivhidD"}},"678098":{"id":"678098","type":"image","title":"James Stroud examines a lizard in the field. (Credit: Day\u2019s Edge Productions)","body":"\u003Cp\u003EJames Stroud examines a lizard in the field. (Credit: Day\u2019s Edge Productions)\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1758636184","gmt_created":"2025-09-23 14:03:04","changed":"1760547417","gmt_changed":"2025-10-15 16:56:57","alt":"James Stroud examines a lizard in the field. (Credit: Day\u2019s Edge Productions)","file":{"fid":"262081","name":"brighter_StroudResearchMiami_003_DaysEdgeProds.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/09\/23\/brighter_StroudResearchMiami_003_DaysEdgeProds.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/09\/23\/brighter_StroudResearchMiami_003_DaysEdgeProds.png","mime":"image\/png","size":2817190,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/09\/23\/brighter_StroudResearchMiami_003_DaysEdgeProds.png?itok=8uLh4VRQ"}}},"media_ids":["678350","678351","678098"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.packard.org\/2025fellows","title":"The David and Lucile Packard Foundation Announces the 2025 Class of Packard Fellows for Science and Engineering"},{"url":"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/3-legged-lizards-can-thrive-against-all-odds-challenging-assumptions-about-how-evolution-works-in-the-wild-262467","title":"3-legged lizards can thrive against all odds, challenging assumptions about how evolution works in the wild"},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/when-two-lizards-meet-first-time-scientists-witness-evolution-action","title":"When Two Lizards Meet for the First Time, Scientists Witness Evolution in Action"},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/natures-time-machine-how-long-term-studies-unlock-evolutions-secrets","title":"Nature\u0027s Time Machine: How Long-Term Studies Unlock Evolution\u0027s Secrets"},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/james-stroud-receives-maxwellhanrahan-award-field-biology","title":"James Stroud Receives Maxwell\/Hanrahan Award in Field Biology"}],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"154","name":"Environment"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"187423","name":"go-bio"},{"id":"192249","name":"cos-community"},{"id":"194631","name":"cos-georgia"},{"id":"192254","name":"cos-climate"},{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"193653","name":"Georgia Tech Research Institute"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71881","name":"Science and Technology"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWritten by \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto: sperrin6@gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESelena Langner\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}