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
Allison Land - Innate immunity to viral infections, host-pathogen interactions and potential sequelae to infection
Micheal Minicozzi - Ecotoxicology of freshwater pollutants
Cecilia Noecker - Eenomics 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
James Parejko - Host-associated microbiomes and host-microbe interactions, molecular evolution of sediment-naturalized E. coli populations
David Sharlin - Developmental biology, thyroid hormone action, brain development, cochlear development (hearing)
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
James Parejko - Host-associated microbiomes and host-microbe interactions, molecular evolution of sediment-naturalized E. coli populations
Christopher Ruhland - effects of global climate change on Antarctic ecosystems and the effects of UV light on plant production
Daniel Toma - behavioral genetics
Trevor Vannatta - Disease, ecosystem, wildlife and theoretical ecology
Ryan Wersal - plant ecology and lake ecology for aquatic plant management and methods of treatment

Microbiology and Immunology

Kennan Hartert - Genomics; personalized lymphoma therapeutics
Allison Land - Innate immunity to viral infections, host-pathogen interactions and potential sequelae to infection
Cecilia Noecker - Genomics and ecology of mammalian gut microbes
James Parejko - Antibiotic resistance in environmental sediments, investigating anti-biofilm compounds in plant-derived essential oils, norisoprenoid biosynthesis in fission yeast fermentations