The graduate faculty members of the Biology Department provide one-on-one mentorship and research guidance to graduate students enrolled in the Biology M.S. and Ph.D. programs.  Each graduate student will ultimately be invited to join the lab of a specific faculty member, who will serve as that student's Research Advisor.  Current Biology faculty members who may accept graduate students into their labs are listed below (in alphabetical order), followed by a brief description of their research interests. To obtain more detailed information about a particular faculty member, click on his or her name.

• Yasir Ahmed-Braimah (actively recruiting for Fall 2024): Computational genomics, evolutionary genetics, speciation, molecular basis of reproductive interactions.
• David M. Althoff: Evolutionary ecology of species interactions, insect community ecology, molecular ecology, phylogenetics.
• Katie M. Becklin: Physiology, ecology, and evolution of species interactions, and their responses to environmental change.
• Carlos A. Castañeda (actively recruiting for Fall 2024): Biochemistry, structural biology, and biophysics of protein quality control mechanisms, biomolecular condensates, and cell stress responses.
• Heather D. Coleman: Plant biotechnology.
• Steve Dorus (actively recruiting for Fall 2024): Evolutionary genetics and genomics of reproductive systems.
• Christopher Fernandez : Mycorrhizal ecology; ecosystem ecology; mycology; plant-microbe interactions; soil biogeochemistry.
• Austin Garner (actively recruiting for Fall 2024): Organismal attachment, functional morphology, biomechanics, anatomy, bio-inspired adhesion, biomimetics.
• Sarah E. Hall: Cellular memory of developmental history in C. elegans.
• Heidi Hehnly (actively recruiting for Fall 2024): Understanding the interface between cytoskeletal dynamics and membrane transport, and defining how they co-regulate one another to control essential cellular processes such as cell division, fate, and polarity.
• James Hewett: Neuromodulators and epilepsy; function of arachidonic acid metabolism, Cyclooxygenase-2, and interleukin-1 in the central nervous system.
• Sandra Hewett: Mechanisms underlying cell death in the central nervous system: the interplay between excitotoxicity and inflammation.
• James Hougland (actively recruiting for Fall 2024): Bioorganic chemistry, biochemistry, enzymology, post-translational modification, molecular biology.
• Louis James (Jamie) Lamit: Plant-fungal interactions, peatland microbial communities, carbon cycling, community ecology, ecosystem ecology, mycology.
• Katharine (Kate) Lewis: Specification and patterning of spinal cord interneurons, formation of functional neuronal circuitry, evolution of spinal cord patterning and function, dorsal-ventral neural tube patterning, zebrafish development.
• Sarah K. Lucas (actively recruiting for Fall 20234): human microbiome, metagenomics, bioinformatics, anaerobic microbiology, experimental microbiology
• Jessica MacDonald: Genetic and epigenetic mechanisms regulating neuronal development and function; gene-environment interactions and neurodevelopmental disorders.
• Eleanor Maine: Genetic regulation of development, cell-signaling, germline development, RNA silencing.
• Angela Oliverio: Eco-evolutionary dynamics, experimental biology, bioinformatics, soil microbiology, systems and computational biology, metagenomics, synthetic sourdough starter microbiomes.
• Susan E. Parks (actively recruiting for Fall 2024): Behavioral ecology, acoustic communication, marine science, conservation biology.
• Melissa E. Pepling (actively recruiting for Fall 2024): Regulation of mouse oocyte development, hormone signaling in oocyte differentiation.
• Scott Pitnick: Evolution of reproduction and life history traits.
• Ramesh Raina (actively recruiting for Fall 2024): Epigenetic mechanisms regulating plant defense against pathogens and plant development.
• Kari A. Segraves: Coevolution, mutualism, evolution of plant-insect interactions.
• Roy D. Welch: Molecular aspects of signaling among a homogeneous population of bacteria.
• Jason R. Wiles (actively recruiting for Fall 2024: Education research in the life and earth sciences with special attention to teaching and learning about biological evolution; science education at all academic levels.