Masters of Science in Biology Western Washington University The Biology Department at Western Washington University has openings for graduate students starting Fall 2018. 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. We strongly advise interested students to contact potential advisors in their area of specialty to get more details about individual labs.
APPLICATION DUE DATE: Feb. 1, 2018 More information can be found at: The Biology Dept: https://cse.wwu.edu/biology/biology-graduate-program The WWU Graduate School: http://www.wwu.edu/gradschool/App_Reqs_Deadlines.shtml by contacting Dr. Ben Miner, Biology Graduate Program Advisor, benjamin.miner at wwu.edu and by contacting the individual faculty, below. POTENTIAL ADVISORS Alejandro Acevedo-Gutierrez: I am interested in the mutual interaction between marine mammals and the environment, and I welcome students with research questions on this broad topic. For this upcoming academic year, at least one student will be co-advised by Dr. Dietmar Schwarz and myself to work on the potential different impacts that male and female harbor seals may have on the community. The data have already been collected and the work involves the use of food-web and ecosystem models. As such, we are particularly interested in students with a strong quantitative background and modelling experience. You can learn more about my research lab, what we do, and what I am looking for in graduate students by exploring my lab's website: http://myweb.facstaff.wwu.edu/aceveda/ Shawn Arellano: Marine invertebrate larval ecology and deep-sea ecology. The Arellano lab has opportunities to study symbiosis and/or larval biology in hydrothermal-vent organisms as part of an NSF-funded project. Some sea-time will be required, and research training opportunities may include larval culturing and embryology, histology, use of oceanographic equipment, microscopy (TEM, SEM, fluorescence), and molecular ecology approaches. http://faculty.wwu.edu/arellas/ Marion Brodhagen: Microbiology, molecular biology, and chemical ecology. Our research has two major foci. 1) We are studying the interaction of the fungus Aspergillus with plants. Specifically, we are interested in the ability of plant natural products to alter fungal development, including the production of the potent toxin, aflatoxin. We also are interested in how growth on agriculturally-used biodegradable plastics alters development and toxin production by this ubiquitous soil fungus. 2) We are querying the potential involvement of the sea star microbiome in sea star wasting disease, which recently caused a massive die-off for many sea star species on the West Coast. We are especially interested in the role of chemical signaling as a potential trigger for disease. 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 not be accepting new students for Fall 2018, pending application for professional leave. 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. We use an early branching eukaryote, the ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila, as a model eukaryotic system for studies that use the experimental tools of biochemistry and/or molecular and cell biology. Project opportunities exist for 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 Brady Olson: Microzooplankton consume approximately 70% of marine phytoplankton primary production, making them the most significant grazers in the ocean and drivers of globally-important biogeochemical cycles. My interests are gaining understanding of the mechanisms that govern the ecology of these important zooplankton, primarily the factors that regulate their feeding behavior. I am currently accepting one student for fall 2018. Brady.Olson at wwu.edu 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 Adrienne Wang: Molecular Neurobiology and Genetics. The Wang lab is interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms of neurodegenerative disease and in identifying genetic modifiers that confer susceptibility or resistance to disease. We are especially interested in understanding how conserved signaling pathways that affect aging may interact with and mediate disease onset and progression. Current projects use fruit fly models of Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and mitochondrial disease to investigate these questions using a range of genetic, pharmacologic, and molecular techniques. Opportunities exist for graduate students with prior experience in PCR, western blot and/or Drosophila husbandry. https://cse.wwu.edu/biology-faculty/wanga5
