He is originally from New Jersey and completed a B.S. in marine science at the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey before completing an M.S. in biology at Northern Michigan University. Prior to moving to Texas, Placyk spent six years living in East Tennessee as a doctoral student and a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, where he completed his Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology. Has taught online courses for the past decade; for the past 18 years, Placyk taught the classroom courses Genetics, Human Anatomy and Physiology, Introductory Biology, and Evolution and Ecology, among others.