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: 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: 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 2025): 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 2025): Organismal attachment, functional morphology, biomechanics, anatomy, bio-inspired adhesion, biomimetics.
• Sarah E. Hall: Cellular memory of developmental history in C. elegans.
• Heidi Hehnly: 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.
• James Hougland (actively recruiting for Fall 2025): Bioorganic chemistry, biochemistry, enzymology, post-translational modification, molecular biology.
• Louis James (Jamie) Lamit (actively recruiting for Fall 2025): 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: 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.
• Angela Oliverio: Eco-evolutionary dynamics, experimental biology, bioinformatics, soil microbiology, systems and computational biology, metagenomics, synthetic sourdough starter microbiomes.
• Susan E. Parks: Behavioral ecology, acoustic communication, marine science, conservation biology.
• Melissa E. Pepling: Regulation of mouse oocyte development, hormone signaling in oocyte differentiation.
• Scott Pitnick: Evolution of reproduction and life history traits.
• Ramesh Raina: 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 2025): Education research in the life and earth sciences with special attention to teaching and learning about biological evolution; science education at all academic levels.