Phyllis D COLEY portrait
  • Research Affiliate, The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama
  • Distinguished Prof Emeritus, School Of Biological Sciences
801-581-7088

Professional Service

  • Center for the Study of Biodiversity in Amazonia (Ceba). Role: Member. International Scientific Advisory Board, Toulouse, France . 01/01/2019 - present
  • Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. Role: Member. Selection Committee for the Director of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. 01/01/2019 - present
  • American Association of University Women. Role: Member. Grants Selection Committee. 01/01/2019 - present
  • Smithsonian Institution. Role: Member. Scientific Advisory Board, ForestGeo, Washington DC. 01/01/2018 - present
  • American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Role: Member. Membership Panel. 06/2016 - 06/2017
  • PeerJ. Role: Board Member. Editorial Board. 01/2012 - present
  • National Science Foundation. Panel Member. 01/2012 - 12/31/2012
  • Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama. Organized a Symposium on Sustainable Uses of Biodiversity (in Spanish), Panama. 10/07/2010 - 10/09/2010
  • International Journal of Ecology. Editorial Board. 01/2008 - present
  • American Society of Naturalists. 2008-2010 Nominating Committee 2009-2010 Chair. 01/2008 - present
  • Gehry Museum of Biodiversity, Panama. Scientific Advisor. 01/2007 - present
  • Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama. BCI Steering Committee. 01/2001 - present
  • Chemoecology. Editorial Board . 01/1996 - present
  • Oecologia. Editorial Board,. 01/01/1992 - present

Internal Service

  • RPT Selection Board. 01/01/2020 - present. Department service.
  • Rising Star Committee. Member, 07/2019 - present. Department service.
  • Distinguished Professor Nominating Committee. Member, 07/2019 - present. University service.
  • Diversity Recruiting Committee. Member, 07/2019 - 06/2020. College service.
  • Admissions Committee. Member, 07/2018 - present. Department service.
  • Seminar Series Committee. Committee member, 07/2017 - present. Department service.
  • Faculty Mentors for The National Diversity in STEM Conference (SACNAS) in Salt Lake City, UT . Faculty mentor, 01/2017 - 12/2017. Other service.
  • Executive Committee. Member, 07/2016 - 07/2017. Department service.
  • American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Membership Panel . Panel member, 06/2016 - 06/2017. Other service.
  • Center for Latin American Studies. Member, 07/2014 - present. University service.
  • Communications Committee. Committee Member, 07/2014 - 07/2015. Department service.
  • Research Committee. Committee Member, 06/2012 - 07/2013. University service.
  • College of Science Council. Council Member, 01/2012 - 12/31/2014. College service.
  • Greenhouse Committee. Chair, 01/2012 - 12/31/2013. Department service.
  • Osher Institute, lecturer in "Hidden Worlds of Science". lecturer, 01/2012 - 12/31/2013. University service.
  • RPT Selection Board. Board Member, 01/2012 - 12/31/2012. Department service.
  • Graduate Council Internal Review, Department of History. 01/2010 - present. University service.
  • Latin American Studies Group. 01/2010 - present. University service.
  • Admissions Committee, Chair. 01/2010 - present. Department service.

Community Partnership

  • CICRA, Peru, our graduate students leads nature presentations for children and parents in gold-mining communities along the Madre de Dios River in Peru. 01/2010 - present
  • ICBG, Panama, our technicians give monthly talks to public school children In Panama. 01/2010 - present

Outreach

  • Science Day at the U Workshop for high school students. 11/2019 - 11/2019
  • Featured on Rapid Ecology Rapid Ecology blog https://rapidecology.com/2019/02/11/reflections-on-papers-past-revisiting-coley-1983/. 02/2019 - 02/2019
  • College of Science - Science Day at the U for high school students. 11/03/2018 - 11/03/2018
  • “The Extreme Plants Traveling Sideshow”, a free, theatrical program at The Natural History Museum of Utah (broader impacts--Inga project) . 01/2017 - 12/2017
  • Lecture at the Natural History Museum of Utah -- Biodiversity in the Rainforest: The Hidden World of Nature’s Toxins. 06/2016 - present
  • Hosted 5 high school students in our lab for “Granite District Senior Shadowing Day”. 01/2016 - 06/2016
  • Science Movie Night, Rainforests and Drug Discovery, SLC Public Library, UT. 06/2013 - present

Honors & Awards

  • Bobby C. Pass Student’s Choice Speaker Award. University of Kentucky, 07/2020
  • National Geographic Explorer. 07/2020
  • Fellow. Ecological Society of America, 06/2018
  • Governor's Medal for Science. State of Utah, 04/2015
  • Myriad Award of Research Excellence. Myriad Genetics, 10/2013
  • William Skinner Cooper Award. Ecological Society of America, 06/2007
  • Fellow. American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 06/2006

In the Media