Graduate Programs
The Department of Biological Sciences offers a Master of Science (MS) in Biology. This graduate program is designed to allow students, with the guidance of their advisors, to mold and focus their program of study on professional interests and specific needs. Our students draw from a broad range of graduate courses and select from a diverse and well-trained group of faculty for direction in research.
Graduate Faculty and Their Research Interests
As an interdisciplinary department with roots in an array of research fields, faculty research programs can be organized into clusters that span several biological disciplines. Based on expertise and research focus, faculty may be associated with one or more clusters indicated below.
Biology Education
Bethann Lavoie - Science Education: professional development, assessment, diverse cultures and problem solving
Brittany Smith - biology education
Biomedical Science and Physiology
Rachel Cohen - neural and endocrine regulation of reproduction and reproductive behavior
Geoffrey Goellner - polyglutamine proteins and neurodegenerative disease
Kennan Hartert - genomics; personalized lymphoma therapeutics
Samantha Katner (Biochemistry) - investigating proteoglycan-targeted therapies and regulation of glypicans in both hepatocellular carcinoma and glioblastoma cells
Penny Knoblich - physiology of blood flow as it relates to hypertension
Allison Land - innate immunity to viral infections, host-pathogen interactions, and potential sequelae to infection
Micheal Minicozzi - ecotoxicology of freshwater pollutants
Cecilia Noecker - genomics and ecology of mammalian gut microbes
David Sharlin - developmental biology, thyroid hormone action, brain development, cochlear development (hearing)
Cell and Molecular Biology
Rachel Cohen - neural and endocrine regulation of reproduction and reproductive behavior
Geoffrey Goellner - polyglutamine proteins and neurodegenerative disease
Keenan Hartert - genomics; personalized lymphoma therapeutics
Samantha Katner (Biochemsitry) - investigating proteoglycan-targeted therapies and regulation of glypicans in both hepatocellular carcinoma and glioblastoma cells
Allison Land - innate immunity to viral infections, host-pathogen interactions, and potential sequelae to infection
Cecilia Noecker - genomics and ecology of mammalian gut microbes
Timothy Secott - molecular mechanisms used by mycobacteria to initiate and establish intestinal infections in mammals
David Sharlin - developmental biology, thyroid hormone action, brain development, cochlear development (hearing)
Robert Sorensen - ecological, behavioral, and evolutionary interactions between animal parasites and their hosts
Daniel Toma - behavioral genetics
Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology
Rachel Cohen - neural and endocrine regulation of reproduction and reproductive behavior in lizards
Susan Colvin - Ecology of aquatic ecosystems especially headwaters and fish assemblages including imperiled species
Mriganka De - soil ecology and soil health; soil biogeochemistry; water quality; sustainable agroecosystems
Matthew Kaproth - plant functional trait adaptation, stress tolerance, species conservation, invasive species
Micheal Minicozzi - Functional morphology and comparative anatomy in fishes
Christopher Ruhland - effects of global climate change on Antarctic ecosystems and the effects of UV light on plant production
Robert Sorensen - ecological, behavioral, and evolutionary interactions between animal parasites and their hosts
Daniel Toma - behavioral genetics
Ryan Wersal - plant ecology and lake ecology for aquatic plant management and methods of treatment
Microbiology, Immunology, and Food Science
Allison Land - innate immunity to viral infections, host-pathogen interactions, and potential sequelae to infection
Cecilia Noecker - genomics and ecology of mammalian gut microbes
Timothy Secott - molecular mechanisms used by mycobacteria to initiate and establish intestinal infections in mammals
