Hubert, Mali M.

Our Staff

Hubert, Mali M.

Assistant Professor of Biology

Chair of Natural Sciences

(423) 746-5235

mhubert@tnwesleyan.edu

EDUCATION

  • Ph.D., Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville
  • B.S., Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, The Behrend College

EXPERTISE / RESEARCH INTERESTS

  • Impacts of anthropogenic disturbances (urbanization, fire) on plant communities and biodiversity
  • Application of ecology to conservation, sustainability, and environmental education
  • Plant–soil interactions and their role in ecosystem function
  • Undergraduate research engagement and attitudes toward ecological disturbances

PUBLICATIONS

Hubert, M.M., Weatherton, M., & Schussler, E. E. (2024). Emotion, Fact, and Anthropogenic Disturbances: Undergraduate Attitudes Toward Wildfire and Urbanization after a Brief Intervention. CBE life sciences education, 23(1). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.22-08-0152

Hubert, M.M., Schweitzer, J. A., Giam, X., & Papeş, M. (2023). Contrasting effects of urbanization and fire on understory plant communities in the natural and wildland–urban interface. Ecosphere, 14(5). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4520

COURSES OFFERED

  • BIO 110, 111– Fundamentals of Biology with Laboratory

  • BIO 130- “Living in the City”, Urban Ecology

  • BIO 182, 183– General Biology II with Laboratory

  • BIO 230, 231– General Botany with Laboratory

  • BIO 330, 331– Plant Taxonomy with Laboratory

  • BIO 360, 361– Principles of Ecology with Laboratory

  • BIO 403, 404– Plant Anatomy and Physiology with Laboratory

  • BIO 481, 482– Senior Seminar for Biology I, II

BIOGRAPHY

Dr. Mali M. Hubert earned her Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where her research explored plant community responses to disturbances and undergraduate attitudes toward ecological change. She currently serves as Chair of the Department of Natural Sciences and Assistant Professor of Biology at Tennessee Wesleyan University, where she develops innovative curricula across multiple biology disciplines and leads faculty, staff, and students in academic and research initiatives. Dr. Hubert, along with her students, has been investigating how climate stressors impact soil carbon stability, most recently through a Visiting Faculty Researcher appointment at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. A two-time recipient of the Lockmiller Teacher of the Year Award, she continues to mentor numerous undergraduate students, emphasizing engaged learning, service, and interdisciplinary collaboration across science and society.