I joined the faculty at Cedar Crest in 2002 after seven years of teaching at large public universities. I was an undergraduate at Colby College, where I double-majored in biology and music. I earned my Ph.D. at Wesleyan University, studying the quantitative genetics and physiology of seasonal adaptation and biological rhythms in the Djungarian hamster. My postdoctoral research at Rutgers and Harvard focused on molecular evolution and population genetics.

I teach courses in several areas, though mainly in ecology, genetics, and statistics. My research interests are broad, and center on questions in evolution and ecology, primarily using approaches involving genetics/genomics. I am an active proponent of evolution education, serving from 2014 through 2024 on the Education and Outreach Committee of the Society for the Study of Evolution (as chair in 2022-2024). I was the Editor-in-Chief of the first edition of the Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Biology (Academic Press, 2016). To help students develop more sophisticated understanding of population genetics concepts, I have developed a free population genetics computer simulation for classroom use (EvolGenius). I've compiled versions for Windows and Mac; the executables, source code, user guides, and program validation can be found on my linked EvolGenius page.

On the side, I am an active musician and song writer.

Contact Info: Phone: (610) 606-4666, ext 3501 Email: rmkliman@cedarcrest.edu Office: Miller Building, Room 24

Mailing Address: Dept. of Biological Sciences Cedar Crest College 100 College Drive Allentown, PA 18104-6196

Scuba photo by Bill Forsee, Earthwatch volunteer, 2011