CURRENT RESEARCH

Involvement in relevant modern scientific research is vital to obtaining a valuable graduate experience. The Department of Biology at the University of Akron has a number of faculty who are actively pursuing research projects in a number of fields. Many of the projects on-going within the department are supported by a number of external funded grants.

Below is just a short capsule of the research interests of the faculty in our department. For more detailed information about research projects and opporunities please visit the full descriptions and links to research pages HERE.

Faculty Research Interests:

Dr. Brian Bagatto: Developmental physiology of vertebrates; physiological variability in developing vertebrates; evolution in developmental processes

Dr. Todd Blackledge: Behavioral ecology; evolution of behavior; spider silk biomechanics; evolutionary ecology of spider webs

Dr. R. Joel Duff: Land plant phylogeny; evolution of RNA editing in plants; phylogenetics of hornworts

Dr. Dan Ely: Mechanisms of hypertension - neural, hormonal, and genetic; stress physiology; heart preservation studies for transplant

Dr. Jim Holda: Transplant immunology; cell-mediated immunology; investigation of autoimmune diseases; characterization of suppressive cells

Dr. Martha Kory: Medical bacteriology - mechanisms of pathenogenicity; phenotypic and genotypic characterization of bacteriophages of medically significant bacteria; general bacteriology

Dr. Peter Lavrentyev: Marine and freshwater microbial food webs; trophic cascades; nutrient dynamics

Dr. Qin Liu: Anatomy and development of vertebrate central nervous system; molecular mechanisms underlying development of vertebrate sensory systems; expression and function of cell adhesion molecular cadherins in the development of the vertebrate nervous tissue

Dr. Rich Londraville: Fat metabolism in lower vertebrates (fish); calcium cycling proteins (leptin); temperature's effects on protein function

Dr. Amy Milsted: Mechanisms regulating gene expression in hypertension: genomic imprinting in females; characterization of the SHR Y chromosome hypertension locus

Dr. Randy Mitchell: Plant-Pollinator interaction; evolutionary ecology; conservation ecology; foraging behavior of nectar feeders; effects of population size and habitat fragmentation

Dr. Francisco (Paco) Moore: Evolutionary consequences of gene-gene interactions; theoretical population genetics; experimental evolution in bacteria; the interface between micro and macro evolution

Dr. Peter Niewiarowski: Ecology and population biology of reptiles; physiological ecology; evolution of life histories

Dr. Don Ott: Role of the cytoskeleton in organelle translocation in Vaucheria; Molecular phylogeny of the genus Vaucheria; assocation of the parasitic rotifer, Proales, in Vaucheria

Dr. Jean Pan: Community ecoystems ecology; molecular characterization of fungal communities

Dr. Ron Salisbury: Sexual differentiation of nervous system; reproductive biology; developmental endocrinology

Dr. Jerry Stinner: Comparative physiology; respiratory physiology; gas exchange and acid-base regulation in vertebrate actotherms

Dr. Monte Turner: Genetics of hyptertention; population genetics; mammalian Y chromosomes

Dr. Stephen Weeks: Evolution of sex-determining mechanisms in crustacea; ecology and evolution of freshwater fish; population biology of aquatic animals