Michael Fulbright is a physiological ecologist and functional morphologist. He has worked on a variety of research projects, from cave surveys of bats to the kinematics of snake striking. A common thread of his research is the love and deep interest in zoology. He is looking to recruit and incorporate undergraduates in his research at Cumberland University. As a first-generation college student, Michael is especially interested in recruiting students from underserved communities. A central aspect of his teaching philosophy is that diversity promotes creative thought.

Michael completed his Bachelor of Science in Biology Degree with a concentration of Distributive Teaching at Austin Peay State University (APSU). He then went on to complete a Master of Science in Biology Degree at APSU. His MS thesis was “Habitat selection of cottonmouth snakes”. Michael then went to pursue his PhD at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. His dissertation “Bite forces, jaw muscle anatomy, and metabolic costs of digestion in map turtles” is a broad approach at understanding the form-function integration of the feeding apparatuses of freshwater turtles.

Before coming to Cumberland, Michael was an Instructor and A&P Lab Coordinator at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Michael also taught as an adjunct instructor at Austin Peay State University and South Louisiana Community College.

Professional affiliations include the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology, Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, Herpetologist’s League, American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists.