Chris Nicolay, Ph.D.

Professor of Biology

Contact Information

  • cnicolay@unca.edu
  • 232-5149
  • 314 Zeis Hall

Office Hours

  • Wednesday 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
  • Friday 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
  • Note:

Dr. Nicolay's primary research interests are rooted in vertebrate functional morphology and evolution. His research addresses how morphological variation is coupled with functional performance, and how variation in performance and morphology sculpts patterns of resource use. His current research centers on New World leaf-nose bats, examining the functional and morphological changes that occur with a major dietary and ecological shift from insectivory and frugivory to specialization on nectar and pollen. Dr. Nicolay has conducted bat research at the University of Erlangen and University of Munich in Germany, and at the Christensen Research Institute in Papua New Guinea.

Education

  • Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from Kent State University
  • M.A. in Biological Anthropology from the University of Kansas
  • B.S. in Anthropology from Kansas State University

Courses Taught

  • BIO108       Human Biology
  • BIO123       Principles of Biology
  • BIO124       Principles of Biology Lab
  • BIO223       Human Anatomy
  • BIO338       Mammalian Physiology
  • BIO356       Desert Ecology
  • BIO398       Research Methods in Biology
  • BIO498       Undergraduate Research in Biology
  • BIO499       Lab Assistantship in Biology