The Department of Ecology and Evolution at Stony Brook was founded in 1969 and was one of the first departments of its kind in the world. The department and graduate program has an international reputation in the fields of evolutionary biology and ecology. Particular areas of strength in our graduate program include population genetics, conservation ecology, molecular evolution and phylogenetics, ecosystem ecology, evolutionary genomics, species interactions, invasion ecology, marine and freshwater ecology, and primate evolution and behavior. The faculty includes one member of the National Academy of Sciences, 5 fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, five past presidents of the Society for the Study of Evolution and the American Society of Naturalists, past president of the American Malacological Society, and past president of the American Institute of Biological Sciences. Faculty members are active in a variety of major professional societies and have served as Editors, Associate Editors and members of editorial boards of major scientific journals.

The department offers MA and PhD programs for Ecology and Evolution.

Graduates of the Ph.D. Program at Stony Brook have gone on to a variety of successful careers, including faculty positions at a variety of prominent research institutions in the U.S. and abroad, as well as positions with conservation organizations, small colleges, consulting firms, and various governmental agencies.