Department of Biological Sciences

UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS
October 20, OPEN HOUSE
Saturday,  9:00 a.m.
9:00 a.m. Center for the Arts Mainstage, Dean's Keynote
9:45 a.m. CFA Atrium, Academic Displays
10:30 a.m. Cooke 121, Biology Event
Please RSVP here.

Dr. Katharina Dittmar is now Program Director, Division of Environmental Biology at the National Science Foundation (NSF). A former member of our faculty, Dittmar returns to UB on November 8, 2018, for a public presentation at 10:00 a.m. She will discuss the NSF mission, priorities (NSF’s Big Ideas), and offer suggestions for submitting a competitive proposal. Although the focus will be on NSF’s Biology Directorate, her presentation is relevant to researchers from any discipline. Dittmar will provide special emphasis on broad interdisciplinary topics, such as 'Rules of Life' and 'Coastal Regions', that cut across NSF Directorates. There will be opportunities for Q&A following her presentation. Small group sessions will be made available for researchers who have submitted proposals to the NSF and/or those who are planning to submit one. Interested faculty should contact Chitra Rajan (chitrara@buffalo.edu).

Sara Fox has received the 2017 Undergraduate Research Award through CURCA, which includes a grant of $500. supported by the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education. Congratulations Sara and keep up the great work! We look forward to all your future achievements!

Generous alumni and friends of the Department of Biological Sciences have provided funds to underwrite a number of scholarships and fellowships to provide support for our students. As a result, our faculty selects six undergraduate students to receive annual fellowships.

Marie Saitou was working on her PhD at the University of Toyko last year when she read a paper published by UB biologist Omer Gokcumen’s research group. The long-distance research relationship worked so well that Saitou applied for and received a postdoctoral fellowship at UB to continue her research on metabolizing genes. Gokcumen is now officially her faculty mentor.  

Faculty research focuses on photosynthesis, plant evolution, plant genomics, gene regulation, environmental remediation, and the metabolic engineering of pharmaceutical compounds.

Signaling faculty study cellular communication and the intracellular pathways that regulate activity. These faculty use a wide range of model organisms and techniques to examine a diverse array of signalling pathways involved in hormonal regulation, sensory transduction, and cell growth and metabolism.

Microbiology faculty study microorganisms including viruses, bacteria, and protozoans.

Our faculty study a variety of model systems using electrophysiology and imaging techniques to understand sensory signalling and the cellular processes underlying important neuronal disorders. 

Cell and Molecular faculty study the regulation of protein expression, from transcription to translation to post-translational modification.

Our research concerns plant evolutionary biology; molecular phylogenetics and population genomics; chromatin and gene expression; genome stability; and the genetics of aquatic invertebrates.

Our faculty study cell biology and signalling pathways that are used by filamentous fungi and budding yeast to adapt to their environments. Our research uses yeast as a model organism to study the mechanisms of gene expression.

Geneticists investigate biological processes by examining the phenotypic consequences of altering genes. Our faculty study how information encoded in DNA is interpreted to produce functional proteins.

Faculty study essential biological processes with particular relevance to the understanding of animal life.

Faculty study evolutionary change using a variety of techniques capitalizing on recent advances in genomics methodology and the evolution of viruses, plants, fish, and humans.