Dr. Robin Verble, an expert on fire ecology, in particular how insects survive fires, is available for commentary on human and ecosystem response to today's massively destructive wildfires and to the effects of prescribed burning on the ecosystem.

Verble is associate professor of biological sciences and founding director of the Ozark Research Field Station at Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, Missouri.

Verble was formerly associate professor of fire ecology and director of the Center for Fire Ecology at Texas Tech University. Her work focuses on the effects of prescribed fire on insect community structure and thermal physiology. Additionally, she is interested in factors influencing plant combustibility and flammability; organismal, community and ecosystem responses to fire; historical fire regimes and human factors; and faunal adaptations to withstand fires.

Verble served as a representative on the Texas Prescribed Burn Board from 2012 to 2018.  

Verble  holds a Ph.D. in applied bioscience from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, a master of science degree in entomology from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, and a bachelor of science degree in biophysics from the University of Southern Indiana. For more details, see http://fireecologylab.blogspot.com/p/research.html