Advisors
The biology department faculty have diverse specializations within fields associated with Life Science Education, Biomedical Sciences, Cell and Molecular Biology, and Ecology and Evolution. You will need a graduate advisor to help plan out coursework toward your degree as a Master of Arts student in Biological Sciences. Please contact the Graduate Director for Biological Sciences (Dr. Matthew Davis, mpdavis@stcloudstate.edu) to discuss potential graduate advisor options and/or contact faculty directly if you know you are interested in a particular graduate advisor (contact information below).
Many of the course offerings during your graduate degree are flexible, allowing you to plan out a suite of courses with your faculty advisor that will complement and enhance your learning experience.
Below is a list of some of the potential faculty advisors and their research interests in our department. For a full list of faculty please visit the Department of Biological Sciences Faculty page.
Examples of Some Potential Faculty Advisors Include:
Biological Sciences: Life Science Education
- Dr. Felicia Leammukda (felicia.leammukda@stcloudstate.edu): Research investigates STEM education and integration, teacher preparation, and curriculum and instruction.
Biological Sciences: Medical, Cellular, and Molecular Biology
- Dr. Marina Cetkovic-Cvrlje (mcetkoviccvrlje@stcloudstate.edu): Research investigates factors associated with autoimmunity in experimental type 1 diabetes.
- Dr. Oladele Gazal (osgazal@stcloudstate.edu): Research investigates mammalian physiology and endocrinology.
- Dr. Kristin Gulrud (kpgulrud@stcloudstate.edu): Research investigates medical microbiology, bacterial toxins, and mechanisms of bacterial pathogenesis.
- Dr. Christopher Kvaal (cakvaal@stcloudstate.edu): Research integrates bioinformatics, molecular biology, and genetics to study a variety of systems including causes of Toxoplasmosis.
- Dr. Brian Olson (blolson@stcloudstate.edu): Research investigates the molecular biology of human diseases including the use of cell culture and biochemistry to study human proteins involved in human diseases.
- Dr. Heiko Schoenfuss (hschoenfuss@stcloudstate.edu): A leading researcher in aquatic toxicology and functional morphology.
- Dr. Timothy Schuh (tjschuh@stcloudstate.edu): Research investigates the early development of Xenopus laevis.
Biological Sciences: Biodiversity, Ecology, and Evolution
- Dr. Jorge Arriagada (jearriagada@stcloudstate.edu): Research investigates the taxonomy and systematics of plants.
- Dr. William Cook (wmcook@stcloudstate.edu): Research investigates aspects of prairie ecology including habitat fragmentation and community ecology.
- Dr. Matthew Davis (mpdavis@stcloudstate.edu): Research investigates the evolution and tree of life of fishes with an emphasis on fishes that live in deep-sea habitats and their associated adaptations (e.g., bioluminescence, fangs).
- Dr. Matthew Julius (mljulius@stcloudstate.edu): Research investigates the potential applications algae may have on various industries, including alternative energy sources and dietary supplements.
- Dr. Jennifer Lamb (jylamb@stcloudstate.edu): Research investigates the taxonomy and population genetics of amphibians.