Faculty
Lecturers
Clay Small, Ph.D.
Assistant Lecturer
Education
2012, Ph.D., Zoology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
2003, B.S., Zoology, Moscow, ID
Biographical Sketch
Dr. Small is an Assistant Lecturer in the Department of Biological Sciences at Idaho State University starting in Fall 2025. Before coming to ISU, he was an Assistant Research Professor in the Data Science Department at the University of Oregon. In addition to a diversity of teaching interests that include ecology and evolution, statistics, and computational biology, Dr. Small has maintained an active research program dedicated to understanding the genomic basis of evolutionary novelties, the repeatability of evolution, and host-microbe interactions, primarily in teleost fishes. Dr. Small grew up in Pocatello. He enjoys spending time with his fiancé and family, and his other interests include reading, fly fishing, and running.
Teaching
BIOL 1101 - Biology I
BIOL 1102 - Biology II
BIOL 3358 - Genetics
BIOL 4417 - Organic Evolution
Selected Publications
Small CM, Beck EA, Currey MC, Tavalire HF, Bassham S, Cresko WA. 2023. Host genomic variation shapes gut microbiome diversity in threespine stickleback fish. mBio e00219-23.
Small CM, Healey HM, Currey MC, Beck EA, Catchen J, Lin ASP, Cresko WA, Bassham S. 2022. Leafy and weedy seadragon genomes connect genic and repetitive DNA features to the extravagant biology of syngnathid fishes. PNAS 119:e2119602119.
Small CM, Currey M, Beck EA, Bassham S, Cresko WA. 2019. Highly reproducible 16S sequencing facilitates measurement of host genetic influences on the stickleback gut microbiome. mSystems 4:e00331-19.
Cytrynbaum EG, Small CM, Kwon RY, Boaz H, Kent D, Yan Y, Knope ML, Bremiller RA, Desvignes T, Kimmel CB. 2019. Developmental tuning of mineralization drives morphological diversity of gill cover bones in sculpins and their relatives. Evolution Letters 3:374-391.
Small CM, Milligan-Myhre K, Bassham S, Guillemin K, Cresko WA. 2017. Host genotype and microbiota contribute asymmetrically to transcriptional variation in the threespine stickleback gut. Genome Biology and Evolution 9:504-520.
Small CM, Bassham S, Catchen J, Amores A, Fuiten AF, Brown RS, Jones AG, Cresko WA. 2016. The genome of the Gulf pipefish enables understanding of evolutionary innovations. Genome Biology 17:258.
Google Scholar
https://scholar.google.com/