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Faculty/Staff Directory

Dr. Tyler Achatz

Office Hours:	[online] Mondays at 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM [online] Wednesday at 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Locations: (Campus & Office)	Macon - Jones - 372
Teaching and Research Interests:	Dr. Achatz’s teaching interests include parasitology, disease biology, invertebrate zoology, and field biology, with experience across introductory and upper-division lecture and laboratory courses. His teaching emphasizes experiential learning through fieldwork, undergraduate research, directed studies, and course-based research experiences, with a focus on biological invasions, host–parasite interactions, and applied biological skills. Dr. Achatz’s research focuses on systematics and taxonomy of digenean parasites, parasite–host co-evolution, and disease ecology. This work integrates morphological and molecular methodologies to broadly address these topics.
Education: (All institutions attended and degrees or credentials earned)	Ph.D. (biology) - University of North Dakota, 2021 M.S. (biology) - Minnesota State University, Mankato, 2016 B.S. (biology) - Portland State University, 2013
Publications and Scholarships: (Last 5 Years)	Selected publications: 1) Achatz T.J., Chun C.H., Young M.A., Page J., Rowe M., Cox C., Wenk L., Tkach V.V. 2025. Detection of rat lungworms in invasive mollusks, Georgia, USA, 2024. Emerging Infectious Diseases 31: 1852–1854. 2) Achatz T.J., Cleveland D.W., Orlofske S.A., Jadin R.C., Block J., Belden L.K., Pinto H.A., Tkach V.V. 2025. A re-evaluation of Zygocotyle (Digenea, Paramphistomoidea) based on new genetic data supports its synonymization with Wardius. Journal of Parasitology 111: 41–47. 3) Achatz T.J., Kostadinova A., Georgieva S., Fecchio A., Tkach V.V. 2025. Host switching at water edge: phylogeny and systematics of diplostomids (Digenea: Diplostomidae) from passeriform and cuculiform birds in South America, with invalidation of Lophosicyadiplostomum Dubois, 1936. Biodiversity and Systematics 23. https://doi.org/10.1080/14772000.2025.2586302 4) Achatz T.J., Morton L.B., Orlofske S.A., Brant S.V., Montes M.M., Bondone F., Tkach V.V. 2025. Description of two new species of Psilochasmus Lühe, 1909 (Digenea: Psilostomidae), with remarks on the diversity of the genus and a key to its species. ZooKeys 1254: 149–170. 5) Achatz T.J., Tkach V.V. 2025. Recent advances and current state of knowledge of phylogenetics and systematics of the Diplostomoidea, with a proposal of a new classification system and a key to genera. Journal of Helminthology 99: 1–16. 6) Achatz T.J., Von Holten Z.S., Pritchard J., Keel M. 2025. Characterization of new ‘white grub’ parasites (Posthodiplostomum spp.) (Trematoda: Diplostomidae) in Georgia, USA, with descriptions of two new species and remarks on P. nanum Dubois, 1937. Systematic Parasitology 102: 33. 7) Young M.A., Orlofske S.A., Jadin R.C., Tkach V.V., Greiman S.E., Locke S.A., Fernandes T.F., Brant S.V., Bates K.M., Michalski M., Achatz T.J. 2025. New faces in an old genus: Museum collections and new materials reveal new diversity of Alaria and an updated key to species. Journal of Parasitology 111: 717 –746. 8) Tkach V.V., Achatz T.J. 2025. Crassiphiala bulboglossa. Trends in Parasitology 41: 162–163. Full list of publications provided at: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Tyler-Achatz

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