Biology
Faculty
Our faculty are committed to excellence in teaching, research, and service to our university and the broader community. Detailed faculty research interests may be found here.
Graduate Faculty
Christopher Brown, Ph.D., Chairperson, Associate Professor. Research interests: ecology, life history evolution, and behavior of terrestrial
arthropods. Courses taught: Entomology, General Ecology, Biostatistics.
Faculty Profile
David Beck, Ph.D., Assistant Professor. David Beck, Ph.D., Assistant Professor. Research interests: infectious diseases
of humans. Courses taught: Medical Microbiology, Health Science Microbiology, Immunology,
Disease Prevention, Bacterial Pathogenesis, Microbial Evolution.
Faculty Profile
Brian Carver, Ph.D., Assistant Professor. Research interests: Mammalian community dynamics and conservation; bat biology and
management. Courses taught: Conservation Biology, Introduction to Biology, Mammalogy.
Faculty Profile
Bradley Cohen, Ph.D., Assistant Professor. Research interests: wildlife ecology and management of game animals. Courses taught:
Habitat Management, General Ecology, Wild Bird Ecology.
Faculty profile
Daniel Combs, Ph.D., Professor. Research interests: ecology and behavior of avian wildlife species. Courses taught: Ornithology, Dendrology, Wildlife Techniques, General
Ecology.
Faculty profile
Steven Cook, Ph.D., Professor, Graduate Studies Chair. Research interests: Ecology of freshwater invertebrates; fish propagation, parasitology,
bioenergetics; biotic indices. Courses taught: Invertebrate Zoology, General Ecology,
General Parasitology, Fisheries Management, Fish Culture.
Faculty profile
John Gunderson, Ph.D., Associate Professor. Research interests: microbial ecology and evolution; symbiosis. Courses taught: General
Microbiology, Environmental Microbiology, Applied Microbiology, Marine Biology.
Faculty profile
Josh Hall, Ph.D., Assistant Professor. Research interests: Ecological developmental biology, life-history evolution, and
global change ecology of reptiles and amphibians. Courses taught: Human Anatomy and
Physiology, Animal Physiology, Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy.
Faculty profile
Steven Hayslette, Ph.D., Professor. Research interests: wildlife ecology and management; avian ecology, behavior, and
nutrition. Courses taught: National Wildlife Policy, Wildlife Principles, Wildlife
Techniques, Concepts of Biology for Educators.
Faculty profile
Carla Hurt, Ph.D. Associate Professor. Research interests: speciation and diversification in marine invertebrates; conservation
genetics of rare animal species. Courses taught: General Genetics, Molecular Genetics.
Faculty profile
Hannah Kinmouth-Schultz, Ph.D., Assistant Professor. Research Interests: Plant responses in complex, changing environments; flowering
time; interactive effects of atmospheric carbon dioxide change on plant environmental
perception; strategies to improve student confidence and resiliency; strategies to
improve student content and skill retention.
Faculty profile
Robert Kissell, Ph.D., Professor. Research interests: species-habitat associations and population ecology of mammals,
especially fur bearers and large mammals. Courses taught: Biostatistics, Wild Mammal
Ecology, GIS for Wildlife and Fisheries.
Faculty profile
Justin Murdock, Ph.D., Associate Professor. Research interests: stream and wetland biogeochemistry, algal ecology, stream community
ecology, disturbance ecology. Courses taught: Phycology, Limnology, Stream Ecology.
Mostafa Rahnama, Ph.D., Assistant Professor. Research Interests: molecular microbiology, genome research, bioinformatics, computational
biology, population genetics.
Mark Rogers, Ph.D. , Associate Professor. Research interests: fisheries ecology and management, aquatic food webs, invasive
species, population dynamics and modeling. Courses taught: Reservoir Fisheries Management,
Biometry.
Faculty profile
Amanda Rosenberger, Ph.D. , Associate Professor. Research interests: Ecology and conservation of freshwater biota, particularly mollusks,
nongame fish, and crayfish. Courses taught: Malacology; Professional Development for
Graduate Students; Aquatic Landscape Ecology.
Faculty profile
Kit Wheeler, Ph.D., Assistant Professor. Research interests: stream fish ecology; quantitative population and community modeling.
Courses taught: Ichthyology, Biostatistics, General Ecology.
Shawn Zeringue-Krosnick, Ph.D., Associate Professor. Research interests: plant systematics, morphogenesis, and reproductive biology. Courses
taught: General Botany, Plant Ecology, Plant-Animal Interactions, Field Botany, Plant
Anatomy.
Faculty profile
Teaching Faculty
Nikki Panter, Ph.D., Senior Lecturer. Research interests: Animal behavior. Courses taught: General Biology, General Ecology,
Biological Communications Skills.
Faculty profile
Richard Pirkle, M.S., Senior Instructor. Research interests: Canada goose physiology and social biology. Courses taught: Human
Anatomy and Physiology I and II.
Faculty profile
Paige Pointer, M.S., Instructor. Courses taught: Biological Communication Skills; General Biology II; Introduction
to Biology; Diversity of Life; General Botany.
Faculty profile
Jerry Swallows, M.S., Lecturer. Courses taught: General Biology; Introduction to Anatomy and Physiology; Biological
Communication Skills.
Faculty profile
Adjunct Teaching Faculty
Dustin Buttram, Lecturer. Courses taught: Wildlife Law Enforcement.
James Ventrice, M.S., Lecturer. Courses taught: Genetic Engineering Lab, Health Science Microbiology Lab, Medical
Microbiology Lab.
Faculty profile
