Areas of Research

Faculty in behavior, ecology, evolution and conservation study how organisms interact with one another and with changing environments. Research in this area spans terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems, with questions related to population and community dynamics, disease spread, conservation, disturbance ecology and ecosystem restoration.

This work includes studies of plant-herbivore interactions, food webs, symbiotic systems, non-native species, climate change and community recovery after disturbance. Faculty also use computational and network-based approaches to understand complex ecological relationships and connect ecological research with genetics, genomics, microbiology and functional adaptation.

Faculty in evolutionary genetics and systematics study how evolution shapes organisms, generates biodiversity and informs the classification of life. Research in this area includes evolutionary diversification, phylogenetics, phenotypic evolution, phylogeography, genome evolution, speciation, molecular ecology and taxonomy.

This work spans levels of analysis from genomic architecture to community structure and often combines fieldwork, laboratory research, molecular tools and specimen-based study. Faculty study organisms from around the world, including species from multiple continents and ocean basins.

Faculty in host-microbial interactions study relationships among microbes, hosts and their environments. Research in this area includes microbial pathogenesis, immune responses to bacterial infection and microbiomes associated with animal and plant species.

This work combines traditional studies of microbial physiology with modern genomic, proteomic and epigenetic approaches. Faculty examine host-microbe relationships at cellular, organismal, ecological and evolutionary scales, creating strong connections with research in functional genomics, ecology and evolutionary biology.

Faculty in physiological adaptations and functional genomics study the mechanisms that allow organisms to respond to changing environmental conditions. Research in this area focuses on functional adaptations to abiotic and biotic stress, including responses that occur at cellular, organismal, developmental, ecological and biochemical levels.

This work combines traditional approaches in physiology, development, ecology and biochemistry with modern tools in genomics, proteomics and epigenetics. Together, these approaches help faculty investigate how organisms function, adapt and persist in changing environments.

Teaching is central to the mission of the Department of Biological Sciences. Faculty contribute to high-quality instruction for undergraduate and graduate students while also studying how students learn biology and how teaching practices can improve learning outcomes.

Research and innovation in this area include discipline-based education research, evidence-based pedagogy and strategies for supporting student success in different learning environments, including large-enrollment courses, laboratories and other high-impact educational settings.