Match tier Confirmed
Presence Current · Arkansas
Last published 2026
Sources OpenAlex · ORCID
Refreshed 2026-08-20

Andrew D. Sweet

Affiliation confirmed via AI analysis of OpenAlex, ORCID, and web sources.

Federal Grant PI High Impact

Assistant Professor

Also affiliated: SUNY Oneonta (1978); Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies du numérique (2010); Illinois Department of Natural Resources (2014–2016); University of Nottingham (1993); University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (2014–2020); State Street (United States) (2019–2021); Illinois College (2014); Purdue University West Lafayette (2019–2021); Society for Classical Studies (2010); University of Illinois System (2018); QED Labs (2015); Laboratoire d’Imagerie Biomédicale (2010); Illinois Archaeological Survey (2014–2022); MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (2013); Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2011–2014)

Faculty Researcher

23 h-index 96 pubs 1,374 cited

  • Animals
  • Phylogeny
  • Phthiraptera
  • Host-Parasite Interactions
  • Genome, Mitochondrial
  • Columbidae
  • Biological Evolution
  • Evolution, Molecular
  • Host Specificity
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA
  • Lice Infestations
  • Gene Rearrangement
  • Phylogeography
  • Mites
  • Genetic Variation

Biography and Research Information

OverviewAI-generated summary

Andrew D. Sweet's research program focuses on the evolutionary biology of parasites, particularly avian lice, and their hosts. His work investigates the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying host specificity, dispersal patterns, and adaptive radiation in these host-parasite systems. Sweet has received significant funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for collaborative research aimed at unraveling the phylogenetic and evolutionary patterns of fragmented mitochondrial genomes in parasitic lice, a project totaling $496,624.

His recent publications explore diverse topics within evolutionary and molecular biology. These include comprehensive phylogenetic analyses of fruit flies to understand host breadth, the impact of long-distance avian dispersal on parasite evolution, and the recovery of ancient DNA from packrat middens. Sweet's research also delves into the independent evolution of highly variable mitochondrial genomes in parasitic lice and the correlation between mitochondrial genome fragmentation and increased molecular evolution rates. He has also examined inbreeding and host-associated genetic structure in lice from endangered seals and published draft genome assemblies of avian lice and their associates.

With an h-index of 22 and over 1,300 citations across 96 publications, Sweet is recognized as a highly cited researcher. He actively collaborates with colleagues at Arkansas State University, including Than J. Boves, Asela Wijeratne, Paige Brewer, and Alexander J. Worm, with whom he has co-authored multiple publications. Sweet maintains an active lab website to disseminate his research findings.

Metrics

  • h-index: 23
  • Publications: 96
  • Citations: 1,374

Selected Publications

  • Kinship Analysis Confirms Tolerant Galapagos Mockingbirds Are a Source of Nest Flies That Threaten Darwin's Finches (2026)
    Molecular Ecology DOI OpenAlex
  • Phylogenomic analysis of pigeons and doves (Columbiformes) informs molecular evolution of a potential magnetoreceptor (2026)
    The Auk DOI OpenAlex
  • The Complete Genome Sequences of 11 Species of Kingbirds (Tyrannus, Tyrannidae, Passeriformes) (2025)
    Biodiversity Genomes DOI OpenAlex
  • Phylogeography of <i>Pennella</i> (Copepoda: Siphonostomatoida: Pennellidae) indicates interoceanic dispersal mediated by cetacean and fish hosts (2025)
    Parasitology DOI OpenAlex
  • Phylogenomics reveals the timescale of diversification in Amblycera (2025)
    Systematic Entomology 1 citation DOI OpenAlex
  • Repeated Successful Nest Sharing and Cooperation Between Western Kingbirds (<i>Tyrannus verticalis</i>) and a Female Western Kingbird × Scissor‐Tailed Flycatcher (<i>T. forficatus</i>) Hybrid (2025)
    Ecology and Evolution DOI OpenAlex
  • Cospeciation (2024)
    Elsevier eBooks DOI OpenAlex
  • The Complete Genome Sequence of Splendidofilaria pectoralis (Onchocercidae, Rhabditida, Chromadorea, Nematoda) (2024)
    Biodiversity Genomes DOI OpenAlex
  • Repeated Successful Nest Sharing and Cooperation between Western Kingbirds (Tyrannus verticalis) and a Female Western Kingbird x Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (T. forficatus) Hybrid (2024)
  • New State Record of Phytomyza Ditmani Kulp (Diptera: Agromyzidae) in Arkansas (2024)
    Southeastern Naturalist DOI OpenAlex
  • Biogeographic History of Pigeons and Doves Drives the Origin and Diversification of Their Parasitic Body Lice (2024)
    Systematic Biology 4 citations DOI OpenAlex
  • Purifying selection drove the adaptation of mitochondrial genes along with correlation of gene rearrangements and evolutionary rates in two subfamilies of Whitefly (Insecta: Hemiptera) (2024)
    Functional & Integrative Genomics 5 citations DOI OpenAlex
  • Mitochondrial genome fragmentation is correlated with increased rates of molecular evolution (2024)
    PLoS Genetics 13 citations DOI OpenAlex
  • Genomic data reveal unexpected relatedness between a brown female Eastern Bluebird and her brood (2024)
    Ecology and Evolution DOI OpenAlex
  • Origin and diversification of a globally distributed group of parasitic feather lice (2024)
    bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) DOI OpenAlex

View all publications on OpenAlex →

Federal Grants 1 $496,624 total

NSF PI Feb 2024 - Jan 2028

Collaborative Research: Unraveling the phylogenetic and evolutionary patterns of fragmented mitochondrial genomes in parasitic lice

EPSCoR Co-Funding, Systematics & Biodiversity Sci $496,624

Collaboration Network

76 Collaborators 55 Institutions 13 Countries

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