James Stroud, an assistant professor in the School of Biological Sciences at Georgia Institute of Technology, has been named a 2025 Packard Fellow for his research in evolutionary biology. The fellowship, awarded by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, will provide Stroud with $875,000 over five years to support his work on “Lizard Island” in South Florida.
Stroud’s project aims to create a detailed map of evolution by tracking 1,000 lizards equipped with lightweight sensor backpacks. These sensors, which weigh just six-hundredths of a gram, will allow Stroud to study how behavior influences evolution in natural environments. He plans to combine this data with advanced mapping technology, including LiDAR, to produce a three-dimensional map of the island and its microhabitats.
“These visionary Packard Fellows are pushing the boundaries of knowledge, and their bold ideas will become tomorrow’s real-world solutions,” said Nancy Lindborg, president and CEO of the Packard Foundation.
Stroud expressed gratitude for the fellowship, stating, “I’m incredibly honored to be named a 2025 Packard Fellow. This support allows me to pursue a question that has fascinated evolutionary biologists for centuries: how does behavior shape evolution? It’s a transformative opportunity, and I’m deeply grateful to the Packard Foundation for believing in the potential of this work.”
Stroud’s research on Lizard Island began in 2015 and is now one of the longest-running evolutionary studies of its kind. Over the past decade, he has documented lizard body characteristics, habitat use, and survival to capture evolution in action. He notes that while it has been challenging to monitor behavior due to the lack of suitable technology, recent advances have made it possible to study these behaviors across many individuals.
“This has been a missing link because behavior is a critical component of evolution,” Stroud said. “Behavior can both expose individuals to — or shield them from — 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.
“These 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’t had the technology to measure these types of extremely intricate behaviors across many individuals before.”
The project will also use hundreds of microclimate sensors to track how species respond to temperature and climate changes. The data collected will form a comprehensive database of lizard movements, resource use, daily interactions, and environmental changes over time.
“For evolutionary scientists, it has been seemingly impossible to track the moment-by-moment decisions of individual organisms… until now,” Stroud said.
“Today, it’s possible to study what Darwin could only dream of — evolution occurring in real time,” he added. “Behavior 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.”
