Rob R. Dunn

Rob Dunn is the author of eight books dealing, variously, with the the unknown world, the life on human bodies, the evolution and study of human hearts, the threats to our crops, the biodiversity in homes, the evolution of flavor, the future of life and, most recently, human mutualisms with other species.

Dunn is an ecologist and evolutionary biologist by training, with interests that spill over into nearly everything. He is a Reynolds Professor in the Department of Applied Ecology at NC State University. He also serves as the Senior Vice Provost for University Interdisciplinary Programs.

Dunn began his career studying ants and the species that live with ants. Over time, he came to also study humans and the species that live with humans. This work has led him to the far reaches into the Bolivian Amazon and, also, into the deep recesses of human belly buttons. His current research considers the evolution of ant societies, the ecology of sourdough bread, the use of yeasts from wasps in making new kinds of beers and the value of trees to cities.