CURRICULUM VITAE

Austin M. Garner, Ph.D.

Syracuse University
Department of Biology
107 College Pl, Rm 114
Syracuse, NY 13244

Email agarner "at" syr.edu
Phone 315.443.4899
Website garnerlab.org

EDUCATION

2016 – 2021 Ph.D. in Integrated Bioscience
The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio
Dissertation title: Examining the relationships between form, function, environment, and behavior in adhesive pad-bearing lizards

2012 – 2016 B.Sc. in Biology, magna cum laude
The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio

PROFESSIONAL APPOINTMENTS

2022 – Assistant Professor
Department of Biology, Syracuse University

2021 – 2022 Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow
Ecological, Evolutionary, & Organismal Biology
Department of Biology, Villanova University

PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS

$Denotes postdoc co-author ^Denotes graduate co-author *Denotes undergraduate co-author †Denotes invited manuscript
‡Denotes equal contribution of authors #Denotes corresponding author

21 published articles | 2 book chapters | 4 manuscripts in preparation

H-index: 9 Citations: 221

JOURNAL ARTICLES

2025

21. Kane, E.A.#, A.M. Garner#, L.A. Hume, and T. Pesacreta. Epidermal microstructures on the paired fins of marine sculpins suggest new functional hypotheses supporting benthic station-holding. Royal Society Open Science 12(3): 241965.

20. Bartlett, D. T.*, K.O. Raffle*, H.N. Pettit*, M.K. Brainard*, K. Gamel^, Z. Nopper*, R.K. Harden, H.C. Astley, A.M. Garner, and R.L. Londraville. Navigating Nature's Terrain: Jumping Performance Robust to Substrate Moisture and Roughness by Blackspotted Rockskippers (Entomacrodus striatus). Journal of Experimental Zoology – Part A 343: 521-530.

2024

19. †Garner, A.M.#‡, A.J. Moura‡,^, C.A. Narvaez, A.Y. Stark, and M.P. Russell. Repeated hyposalinity pulses immediately and persistently impair the sea urchin adhesive system. Integrative and Comparative Biology 64(2): 257-269.

2023

18. Moura, A.J.^, A.M. Garner, J.P. Cucchiara*, C.A. Narvaez, A.Y. Stark, and M.P. Russell. Hyposalinity reduces tube foot coordination and adhesion in sea urchins. Journal of Experimental Biology 226(13): jeb245750.

17. Pamfilie, A.M.*, A.M. Garner#, A.P. Russell, A. Dhinojwala, and P.H. Niewiarowski. Get to the point: Claw morphology impacts frictional interactions on rough substrates. Zoology 157: 126078.

2022

16. Orndorf, N., A.M. Garner, and A. Dhinojwala. Polar bear paw pad surface roughness and its relevance to contact mechanics on snow. Journal of the Royal Society Interface 19: 20220466.

15. Garner, A.M.#, M.C. Wilson, C. Wright*, A.P. Russell, P.H. Niewiarowski, and A. Dhinojwala. Parameters of the adhesive setae and setal fields of the Jamaican radiation of anoles (Dactyloidae: Anolis): potential for ecomorphology at the microscopic scale. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 137(1):85-99.

14. Palecek, A.M., A.M. Garner, M.R. Klittich, A.Y. Stark, J.D. Scherger, C. Bernard, P.H. Niewiarowski, and A. Dhinojwala. An investigation of gecko attachment on wet and rough substrates leads to application of surface roughness power spectral density analysis. Scientific Reports 12:11556.

2021

13. Garner, A.M.‡#, M.C. Wilson‡, C. Wright*, A.P. Russell, P.H. Niewiarowski, and A. Dhinojwala. The same but different: setal arrays of anoles and geckos indicate alternative approaches to achieving similar adhesive effectiveness. Journal of Anatomy 238(5):1143-1155. Cover.

12. Garner, A.M.#, A.M. Pamfilie*, A. Dhinojwala, and P.H. Niewiarowski. Tokay geckos (Gekkonidae: Gekko gecko) preferentially use substrates that elicit maximal adhesive performance. Journal of Experimental Biology 224(4):jeb241240. Cover.

11. Garner, A.M.# and A.P. Russell. Revisiting the classification of squamate adhesive setae: historical, morphological, and functional perspectives. Royal Society Open Science 8: 202039.

10. Russell, A.P. and A.M. Garner. Setal field transects, evolutionary transitions and gecko-anole convergence provide insights into the fundamentals of form and function of the digital adhesive system of lizards. Frontiers in Mechanical Engineering 6:1-17.

2020

9. Garner, A.M.‡#, A.M. Pamfilie‡*, E.J. Hamad*, R. Kindig*, J.T. Taylor*, C.K. Unsworth, and P.H. Niewiarowski. Home-field advantage: Native gecko exhibits improved exertion capacity and locomotor ability in structurally complex environments relative to its invasive counterpart. Frontiers in Zoology 17(23): 1-11.

2019

8. Garner, A.M.#, C. Buo, J.M. Piechowski, A.M. Pamfilie*, S.R. Stefanovic, A. Dhinojwala, and P.H. Niewiarowski. Digital hyperextension has no influence on the active self-drying of gecko adhesive subdigital pads. Journal of Experimental Zoology – Part A 333(2):118-125.

7. Cohn, E.*‡, P. Cole*‡, A. Haymaker*‡, A.M. Garner, and R.L. Londraville. Response to Underwater Laser Pointer in the Orange-Finned Anemonefish Amphiprion chrysopterus and Three-spot Damselfish Dascyllus trimaculatus. Journal of Fish Biology 96:274-277.

6. Gamel, K.M., A.M. Garner, and B.E. Flammang. Bioinspired remora adhesive disc offers insight into evolution. Bioinspiration & Biomimetics 14(5):1-8.

5. Niewiarowski, P.H., A. Dhinojwala, and A.M. Garner. Adapting a thermal physical model approach to estimate gecko adhesion performance opportunity and constraint: How rough could it be? Integrative and Comparative Biology 59(1):203-213.

4. †Garner, A.M.#, M.C. Wilson, A.P. Russell, A. Dhinojwala, and P.H. Niewiarowski. Going Out on a Limb: How Parallel Investigation of the Anoline Adhesive System can Enhance our Understanding of Fibrillar Adhesion. Integrative and Comparative Biology 59(1):61-69.

2018

3. McInerney, S.J., B. Khakipoor, A.M. Garner, T. Houette‡, C.K. Unsworth‡, A. Rupp, N. Weiner, J.F.V. Vincent, J.K.S. Nagel, and P.H. Niewiarowski. E2BMO: Facilitating User Interaction with a BioMimetic Ontology via Semantic Translation and Interface Design. Designs 2(4):53.

2017

2. Garner, A.M.#, S.M. Lopez, and P.H. Niewiarowski. Brown anole (Anolis sagrei) adhesive forces remain unaffected by partial claw clipping. Acta Herpetologica 12:133-137.

1. Garner, A.M.#, A.Y. Stark, S.A. Thomas, and P.H. Niewiarowski. Geckos go the Distance: Water's Effect on the Speed of Adhesive Locomotion in Geckos. Journal of Herpetology 51:240-244.

BOOK CHAPTERS

2025

2. †Garner, A.M.# and A.P. Russell. Getting Beyond the Sticking Point: A Biodiversity-aware Approach to Gecko-inspired Adhesion Offers Potential Pathways to the Improvement of Future Biomimetic Designs. In: Biomimicry. V. Bels, S. Gorb, R. Gurka, A. Liberzon, and D. Hu (Eds). In press.

2023

1. Russell, A.P. and A.M. Garner. Solutions to a Sticky Problem: Convergence of the Adhesive Systems of Geckos and Anoles (Reptilia: Squamata). In: Convergent Evolution. V. Bels and A. Russell (Eds).

MANUSCRIPTS IN REVIEW OR IN PREPARATION

Wasiljew, B.$#‡, A. Roberts‡, N. Robinson*, and A.M. Garner#. Impacts of substrate roughness and inclination on exertion capacity of green anoles. In preparation.

Wasiljew, B.$#, S. Weil, M. Philips, and A.M. Garner#. Jumping performance of green and brown anoles on compliant substrates. In preparation.

Garner, A.M.‡#, Kane, C.*‡, M.P. Russell, and A.Y. Stark. Adhesion and locomotion of green sea urchins in response to elevated temperature. In preparation.

Handen, M.*, A.J. Moura^, B. Campbell, T. Liu, P.H. Niewiarowski, and A.M. Garner#. The effects of substrate compliance and diameter on gecko locomotor performance. In preparation.

FUNDING

ACTIVE

2023 US Department of Defense, Office of Naval Research (Co-PI)
Marine Mammals & Biology Program
Advancement of Attachment of Biologging Tags
With K. Alex Shorter (PI, University of Michigan) and Susan E. Parks (Co-PI, Syracuse University)
Amounts: $241,799 to Syracuse University; $247,000 to University of Michigan

PENDING

2025 US Department of Defense, Air Force Office of Scientific Research (PI)
Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP)
DURIP: Microcomputed tomography scanner for three-dimensional imaging and analysis of biological and bio-inspired structures
Amount: $602,115

NOT AWARDED

2024 American Philosophical Society (PI)
Franklin Research Grant
Morphological and functional plasticity in response to urbanization in a clonal gecko

National Science Foundation, Directorate for Biological Sciences (PI)
Integrative Organismal Systems (IOS) Core Programs
Collaborative Research: Functional and ecomorphological responses of a key marine benthic herbivore to stressors induced by extreme climatic events
With Carla A. Narvaez (Co-PI, Rhode Island College) and Alyssa Y. Stark (Co-PI, Villanova University)

Syracuse University (PI)
Faculty Creative Activities and Research Grant
Habitat-level Variation in the Functional Morphology of the Purple Sea Urchin Adhesive System
*Received highly competitive score and funded through College of Arts & Sciences and Department of Biology

National Science Foundation, Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (Co-PI)
Major Research Instrumentation Grant
MRI: Track 1 Acquisition of a Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope to Elevate Science and Engineering in Central New York
With Ian D. Hosein (PI, Syracuse University), James H. Henderson (Co-PI, Syracuse University), Jay Thomas (Co-PI, Syracuse University), and Britton Plourde (Co-PI, Syracuse University)

2023 National Science Foundation, Directorate for Biological Sciences (Co-PI)
Integrative Organismal Systems (IOS) Core Programs
Collaborative Research: Testing a newly described friction-enhancing mechanism in sculpins
With Emily A. Kane (PI, University of Louisiana at Lafayette)

Syracuse University (PI)
BioInspired Institute Seed Grant Funding Program
Go with the flow: Sea urchins as a model system for bio-inspired hydrodynamic surfaces, robots, and adhesives
With Zhenyu Gan (Co-PI, Syracuse University, MAE), Kasey Laurent (Co-PI, Syracuse University, MAE), Yiyang Sun (Co-PI, Syracuse
University, MAE), and Wanliang Shan (Co-PI, Syracuse University, MAE)

National Science Foundation, Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (Co-PI)
Major Research Instrumentation Grant
MRI: Track 2 Acquisition of a Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope to Advance Science at SU through Imaging and Analysis
With Ian D. Hosein (PI, Syracuse University), James H. Henderson (Co-PI, Syracuse University), Jay Thomas (Co-PI, Syracuse University), and Britton Plourde (Co-PI, Syracuse University)

2022 American Philosophical Society (PI)
Franklin Research Grant
Morphology, Performance, and Habitat Use of Urban and Natural Populations of the Common House Gecko

INVITED PRESENTATIONS

19 invited presentations

2025 Florida Atlantic University, Department of Biological Sciences

Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi, Department of Life Sciences

2024 University of Akron, Department of Biology

University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Department of Biology

2023 Syracuse University, College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Advisory Board

Syracuse University, Department of Physics

State University of New York (SUNY) College of Environmental Science & Forestry, Department of Environmental Biology

State University of New York (SUNY) Potsdam, Department of Biology

Syracuse University, BioInspired Institute’s CAREER Pre-College Program

Stony Brook University, Department of Ecology and Evolution

Technology Alliance of Central New York (TACNY), Jr. Café Scientifique

2022 Syracuse University, Bio-Art Mixer

Syracuse University, Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering

Syracuse University Project Advance, Biology – Downstate NY

Syracuse University Project Advance, Biology – Upstate NY

Bronx Zoo, Advanced Inquiry Program

2021 Villanova University, Department of Biology

Syracuse University, Department of Biology

2020 Denver Zoo, Advanced Inquiry Program