Rate My Professor Dovid Kozlovsky

Dovid Kozlovsky is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Biology in the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology within Kennesaw State University’s College of Science and Mathematics. He joined the faculty in January 2021 following his appointment as a Mendel Science Experience Postdoctoral Fellow at Villanova University from August 2019 to December 2020, where he co-taught courses on family trees for non-science majors, behavioral ecology, and tropical natural history while mentoring research students. Kozlovsky earned his Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology from the University of Nevada, Reno, between 2012 and 2017. His contact office is SC 333, with phone (470) 578-6176. He serves as the Honors Program liaison for the Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology department.

Kozlovsky’s research focuses on reproductive ecology and urban ecology, with extensive work on behavioral ecology, spatial cognition, and environmental adaptations in birds, particularly food-caching mountain chickadees. His publications include “Heritability and the evolution of cognitive traits” (Behavioral Ecology, 2015, 155 citations), “Spatial memory and cognitive flexibility trade-offs: to be or not to be flexible, that is the question” (Animal Behaviour, 2019, 142 citations), “Individual variation in spatial memory performance in wild mountain chickadees from different elevations” (Animal Behaviour, 2016, 105 citations), “Smart is the new sexy: female mountain chickadees increase reproductive investment when mated to males with better spatial cognition” (Ecology Letters, 2019, 66 citations), and “What makes specialized food-caching mountain chickadees successful city slickers?” (Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 2017, 60 citations), among others demonstrating his impact in the field. He has been honored by the College of Science and Mathematics for externally funded research in both 2024 and 2025, and recognized for teaching excellence in 2024 based on student success rates, learning outcomes, curriculum alignment, and fostering inclusion.