Charles Davis turns childhood memories into a career

Charles Davis’ fascination with ecology and evolutionary biology started long before he stepped into a classroom at Rice University. 

“It kind of harkens back all the way to when I was really little,” he said. “My family used to own a restaurant and behind it there was this old creek, and between the shifts me and my brother had to work we would run to the back and we’d catch all these animals off the creek and bring them up. I kind of always felt a deep-seated appreciation for nature and the inner workings behind that beauty and diversity behind it.”

The passion for nature has fueled a research- and adventure-filled experience at Rice. “We get the opportunity to go out to all these different sites,” Davis said. “We get to go climbing a tree and get these bugs, bring it back to the lab and get the DNA, and see how it relates to the big picture.”

The Brown College senior has also had a diverse experience outside of the lab. 

Davis is the chief justice at his residential college, helping to make sure his classmates have a safe experience. He is also the captain of Brown’s team for Beer Bike, the Rice tradition he said he will miss the most after graduation. 

“That’s the thing that gets me the most hype every spring semester,” he said. 

After Davis leaves Rice, he plans on interning at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C.