Meet Marshall McMunn

Meet UC Davis doctoral alumnus Marshall McMunn, one of the newer members of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology (ENT) faculty.

McMunn, who joined the ENT faculty in October of 2023, is an assistant professor of teaching, skilled in field biology instruction and data analysis, with key interests in technology-enhanced learning and equity in education.

He is coordinating the ENT seminars for the 2025-26 academic year. Another role: serving as the lead faculty advisor to the Animal Biology (ABI) major, succeeding forensic entomologist and lecturer Robert Kimsey, who retired in June of 2024. 

McMunn also serves as the faculty co-chair of the entomological activities held at Briggs Hall during the annual campuswide UC Davis Picnic Day.  

The first entomologist in his family, Marshall grew up in Jackson, Mich. He holds a bachelor of science degree in ecology and evolutionary biology (2009) from the University of Michigan. He  received his doctorate in population biology in 2018 from UC Davis, completing his dissertation on “Diel Variation Within Ecological Communities: Experimental and Observational Studies.” His dissertation committee included his major professor Louie Yang, a community ecologist; and UC Davis Distinguished Professors Jay Rosenheim and Rick Karban (now both emeriti).

Early in his career, in 2011, McMunn gained experience as a Duke University research assistant, monitoring plant populations in the northern Rocky Mountains.

His UC Davis research, from 2011 to 2023, involved studying thrips behavior, identifying insects from the Bahamas, investigating the effects of temperature on ant microbiomes, and evaluating nectar microbe dispersal traits using thrips and sunflowers.

Specifically, McMunn served as a research assistant in 2011-2012 in the Yang lab, studying thrips behavior and identifying Bahama insects. As a member of the Yang lab, he received a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow Award, and did field studies in temporal plant and insect ecology (2012-2018).

A National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow Award followed in 2018.  McMunn investigated the effects of temperature on ant microbiomes (2018 to 2020) under the advisement of Stacy Philpott (now a professor at UC Santa Cruz) and Rachel Vannette (now an associate professor and vice chair of the UC Davis ENT).  

In the Vannette, lab, as a USDA-NIFA (National Institute of Food and Agriculture) Postdoctoral Research Fellow (2020-2022),  McMunn evaluated nectar microbe dispersal traits using thrips and sunflowers. 

In 2022, he accepted a research data specialist position with the California DOJ. His UC Davis academic appointment followed in 2023.  

First Memory of Insects

’My first memory I can recall involving insects was when my dog. Sparky, stuck his nose into a bee (or maybe wasp) nest when I was about 5 or 6," McMunn recalled. "As a young child, watching him get stung and the look on my mom's face in telling me to get away, left a big impact. She went in and pulled him off the nest while both were repeatedly stung. I always felt indebted to both my mom and Sparky for protecting me. I think it was the first time I had witnessed a selfless act of bravery, both the dog hopelessly biting and my mom knowingly running into the swarm to pull back the dog.”

“On a more positive note, I kept a small butterfly collection when I was a child. It was fun chasing after them, but I lacked proper curation--and still do to some extent.”

McMunn traces his passion for plant ecology back to his early 20s. “My interest in insects came even later, through an interest in community ecology. Insects offered abundant study organisms that interacted with plants. This changed after I had a part-time job looking at bahamian insect samples working with Louie Yang. Under a microscope and through the keys, I was able to appreciate the astounding diversity and beautiful morphology of insects.”

What fascinates him about insects? “I've always marveled at the functional diversity of insects. It's incredible to see insects and try to imagine the evolutionary history that has shaped what we see today.”

As the lead faculty advisor for the ABI major, Professor McMunn fosters the academic success of students in the program. 

On a recent ABI 198 field trip, McMunn led nine animal biology undergraduate students as they looked for California Gall Wasps (Andricus Quercuscalifornicus) among the oaks in the Cahill Riparian Preserve, some 200 acres along the south side of Putah Creek near Lake Berryessa that is part of the UC Davis Natural Reserve System. His class has also studied the impact of fire on acorn woodpecker granaries.

'A Minuscule Part of a Much Bigger Story'

"I've always liked beginning new fieldwork most of all-- anytime I am getting to know a place or a study system," McMunn said. "One particular highlight was working with the Arizona turtle ant outside of Tucson, Ariz. Trying to imagine all of the improbable events that led the various plants and animals to share this one place and time is profoundly humbling. It's sort of like the feeling you get when you think about how small the Earth is in the universe and look up at the stars--that you are a minuscule part of a much bigger story. I get that same feeling when I am witness to natural spaces and the life that passes through them.”

His interests are varied. McMunn enjoys spending time with his family. "My two sons, ages 3 and 6, keep me quite busy. I like doing more things than I have time to, but I'd say backpacking is my favorite pastime. I love the open spaces in the West. I'm also a mediocre cook, runner, woodworker, Dungeons and Dragons player, and photographer. Recently I've begun to consider myself a birder, so aspiring to mediocrity in yet another pastime."

McMunn described his work as a data analyst for the California DOJ "as a very fulfilling job and an issue I remain passionate about. It also gave me a great respect for the many public service workers who go unthanked for their hard work. I am glad that I now spend more of my day thinking about biology and teaching students." 

He added that he knows a "surprising amount about racial disparities in police detainments in the state of California" after his work with the DOJ. 

Committed to Staying in Davis Eight Years Ago

 "I committed himself to staying in Davis about eight years ago," McMunn said. "I was visiting Putah Creek before finishing my PhD, worrying about where I would move, what I would do, and how to convince my partner to follow me. I decided to solve two of those problems by staying here. I didn't know exactly what I would do, but I knew it would be here. As an academic, it was wildly impractical to limit my choices so severely. But my wife's parents are nearby and I love the surrounding area, especially the Sierra Nevada and the nearby coast range. So I chose Davis well before it chose me. Oddly enough that was the second time that happened--I decided to move here despite being rejected from graduate school on my first application cycle. I can be remarkably stubborn sometimes."