Biology Faculty
Developmental Genetics and Cell Biology
Directed changes in the shape of epithelial sheets are required to create many of the major tissues in animals, including the intestinal system,... read more
Tropical Ecology
My research is in the ecology and species composition of tropical and subtropical forests in both the Paleotropics and Neotropics. In the Brasilian Amazon, I have eight... read more
I am interested in microbial diversity and bacterial adaptations to the environment. In particular, I study the survival strategies of one bacterium, Psychrobacter arcticus, which was isolated in... read more
Evolutionary Ecology
The study of biodiversity has historically been conducted within two disciplines, with community ecologists addressing the mechanisms that maintain diversity and... read more
Plant Molecular Biology
My research focuses on the response of plants to environmental stress at the molecular and biochemical levels, and utilizes both crop and model plant species. Most... read more
My students and I try to determine: (1) how natural selection shapes plant reproduction, life history, and physiology; and (2) why plant species occur where they do, rather than somewhere else. A... read more
Microbial Genetics/Molecular Biology
I am interested in DNA repair mechanisms and recombination. These processes are essential for the protection of organisms from DNA-damaging agents such... read more
Research with undergraduate students in my lab focuses primarily (but not exclusively - see "the goat project" below) on various aspects of community structure and population biology of fungi.... read more
My research addresses the ecology and restoration of rivers and streams. The flow of water is the driving force that organizes and maintains the biota associated with these systems. A principal... read more
On Leave Academic Year 2012-2013 Animal Physiology/Neurobiology Neuroscience Web Site In my laboratory we study the chemical synapse, a specialized junction where neurons communicate with... read more
Comparative physiology and functional morphology; exercise physiology & psychology I was originally trained as a comparative physiologist and functional morphologist, but since coming to Iowa... read more
Plants, like animals, begin life as a single cell, the fertilized egg or zygote. This single cell undergoes growth, cell division and differentiation to produce an embryo, or immature plant. This... read more
Current focus of the lab - in a nutshell.
The actin-based motor protein called myosin-10 appears to contribute to the proper structure and function of the mitotic spindle,... read more
Cell Biology / Developmental Biology
I am interested in the formation of sensory structures during neural development in vertebrate embryos. Most of my work with students at Grinnell has... read more