The Biology Department at Western Washington University has openings for
graduate students starting Fall 2017. Faculty members in the department
offer a wide range of expertise, from molecular biology to ecology. Graduate students are eligible for teaching assistantships, which fund the
majority of tuition and provide a stipend of $12,116 per year. WWU is
located in Bellingham, WA, a coastal city north of Seattle at the base of
Mt. Baker in the northwestern part of the state.=20
More information can be found at: https://cse.wwu.edu/biology/biology-graduate-program
or by contacting Dr. Ben Miner, Graduate Program Advisor, at benjamin.miner
at wwu.edu
Potential advisors
Marion Brodhagen: Microbiology, molecular biology, and chemical ecology. Our
lab studies the plant pathogenic fungus Aspergillus and aflatoxin, a potent
toxin produced by this fungus. Our current projects involve the ability of
certain plant secondary metabolites to stop growth and/or toxin production
by Aspergillus. Future research directions will include investigations of
the molecular mechanisms by which these plant compounds alter fungal
metabolism. We also are interested in the role of Aspergillus in
colonization of plastics labeled biodegradable, in agricultural settings.
Aspergillus is a key colonizer of such plastics but its ability to break
down polymers is unclear, as is the extent of toxin formation during plastic
colonization. https://cse.wwu.edu/biology-faculty/brodham
Lina Dalberg: The Dahlberg Lab uses the model organism C. elegans to probe
the neurobiological, cellular, and behavioral role for proteins involved in
a ubiquitin-dependent processes called Endoplasmic Reticulum Associated
Degradation (ERAD). This project will use a variety of techniques, including
fluorescence microscopy, behavioral assays, and biochemical characterization
to investigate how ERAD targets neural receptors for degradation. A second,
NSF-funded project focuses on improving metacognitive skills in
undergraduate Biology students; students interested in this project must
have experience (via coursework or research) in education and pedagogy research.
https://cse.wwu.edu/biology-faculty/dahlbec
Dave Hooper: Plant Community and Ecosystem Ecology. I will be accepting one
graduate student in fall 2015. My local research is currently focused on
assessing ecosystem services associated with different scenarios of riparian
restoration in Whatcom County. Student work would combine GIS analyses of
ecosystem services and field work, particularly on nutrient retention, to
validate modeling results. I also have opportunities focused on analyzing
large data sets to understand aspects of biodiversity loss and assembly of
plant communities.=20 https://cse.wwu.edu/biology-faculty/hooper
Robin Kodner: Marine Microbial Metagenomics. The Kodner lab does
interdisciplinary work integrating marine microbial ecology with comparative
genomics and bioinformatics for metagenomes. I am recruiting for one student
for work on bioinformatics projects. Some experience with sequence analysis
and programming required.
https://cse.wwu.edu/biology-faculty/kodnerr
Suzanne Lee: The long-term research goals of the Lee Lab are to better
understand the molecular mechanisms that underlie gene regulatory pathways
that target RNA. The biological importance of gene regulation at the
post-transcriptional level is underscored by the fact that many human
diseases result when RNA metabolism goes awry. Currently, the Lee lab is
investigating pathways that target aberrant RNA transcripts for degradation
through engagement of RNAi machinery or the nonsense-mediated decay pathway.
We use an early branching eukaryote, the ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila, as
a model eukaryotic system in our research, as it offers the unique
opportunity to uncover both broadly applicable mechanisms and interesting
points of organism-specific diversification. Students pursuing research in
our lab have the opportunity to learn a broad array of experimental tools
used in biochemistry and molecular and cell biology. Project opportunities
exist for 1-2 Masters=92 students with prior experience in cloning, PCR,
protein purification, and/or microscopy.
https://cse.wwu.edu/biology-faculty/lees65
Craig Moyer: My interests are marine microbiology and geomicrobiology
focusing on molecular approaches for exploring microbial diversity,
community structure and ecological interactions. Presently, my lab and I are
focused on the study of iron-oxidizing Zetaproteobacteria acting as the
ecosystem engineers in microbial mats found at strong redox boundaries,
including seep, spring and vent habitats. We are also examining the
evolutionary divergence of surface and deep subsurface Zetaproteobacteria in
hydrothermal systems.
https://cse.wwu.edu/biology-faculty/cmoyer
Lynn Pillitteri: Plant Molecular and Developmental Biology. A potential
graduate project in my lab would be aimed at understanding the molecular
mechanisms driving cell type differentiation in the model organism,
Arabidopsis thaliana.
https://cse.wwu.edu/biology-faculty/pillitl
Dan Pollard: Cellular Systems Genetics and Genomics. The Pollard lab has
opportunities to study the molecular mechanisms of natural variation in
protein expression dynamics in budding yeasts on an NSF supported project. The lab integrates microscopy, molecular biology, quantitative genetics,
genomics, and computational biology, providing a broad and diverse graduate
training experience. https://cse.wwu.edu/biology-faculty/pollard
Dietmar Schwarz: Ecological and Evolutionary Genetics and Genomics,
Evolutionary Ecology. Schwarz’s lab offers opportunities to study
speciation, hybridization, and adaptation in host specific insects (apple
maggot flies and relatives). The Schwarz lab also collaborates with
Alejandro Acevedo on the molecular ecology of foraging in harbor seals.
https://cse.wwu.edu/biology-faculty/schward2
Anu Singh-Cundy: Plant Cell Biology and Biochemistry. We study cell-cell
interactions at the physiological, cellular, and molecular levels. Current
projects are focused on understanding the role of HD-AGPs, which are
extracellular glycoproteins that are expressed in the transmitting tissue of
the pistil and in the vasculature of roots and shoots. We also study pectins
and pectin-modifying enzymes found in the pistil of solanaceous species.
https://cse.wwu.edu/biology-faculty/anu