Alex Van Huynh, Ph.D.

Dr. Alex Van Huynh received his B.S. in Biology from Moravian college and his Ph.D. in Biology from Lehigh University before joining the DeSales Department of Biology in 2020. 

As a chemical ecologist, Dr. Huynh’s research interests involve understanding how various compounds that organisms secrete into the environment influence their ecological interactions and ultimately their evolution. He has investigated these questions in a variety of systems in South America, Europe, and the United States. He is currently studying the chemistry of preen oils in songbirds, how these oils may be used in communication, and how songbirds may incorporate olfactory information into different behaviors. This work utilizes a highly multidisciplinary and integrative approach in both the field and the laboratory.

Learn more about Dr. Huynh's research

At DeSales, Dr. Huynh teaches Introductory Biology I and II, Ecology, and Field Biology. He lives in the Lehigh Valley with his wife and son. Outside of the university, he spends most of his time cooking, reading, and running.  

Publications

Nguyen, M., McGrath, C., McNamara, C., Huynh, A.V. 2022. Tritrophic interactions with avian predators: the effect of host plant species and herbivore-induced plant volatiles on recruiting avian predators. Journal of Field Ornithology 93(1):4. 

Huynh, A.V., Rice, A.M. 2021. Odor preferences in hybrid chickadees: implications for reproductive isolation and asymmetric introgression. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 75(9):129.

Huynh, A.V., Rice, A.M. 2019. Conspecific olfactory preferences and interspecific divergence in odor cues in a chickadee hybrid zone. Ecology and Evolution 9:9671-9683.

McQuillan, M.A., Roth, T.C., Huynh, A.V., Rice, A.M. 2017. Hybrid songbirds are deficient in learning and memory. Evolution 72(5):1155-1164. 

McQuillan, M.A. Huynh, A.V., Taylor, S.A., Rice, A.M. 2017. Development of 10 novel SNP-RFLP markers for quick genotyping within the black-capped (Poecile atricapillus) and Carolina (P. carolinensis) chickadee hybrid zone. Conservation Genetics Resources doi:10.1007/s12686-016-0667-z.

Huynh, A.V., Bevington, J.M. 2014. MALDI-TOF MS analysis of proanthocyanidins in two lowland tropical forest species of Cecropia: a first look at their chemical structures. Molecules 19(9):14484-14495.