Department of Biological Sciences

WGRZ-TV's news story on the science of climate change features Trevor Krabbenhoft and other UB faculty who are researching "specifically" what climate change means in our region. Krabbenhoft discusses the delicate balance of Lake Erie's fresh water and how aquatic life respond to environmental change. He states, "We don't realize how rare this kind of environment is globally." Using functional genomics and bioinformatics to test hypotheses related to mechanisms underlying how fish respond to their environment, we can better predict outcomes for future scenarios of environmental change. Krabbenhoft's research has important management and conservation implications both locally for the Great Lakes and more broadly for aquatic ecosystems worldwide. (Krabbenhoft's interview begins at 3:43/5:35)

The Acoustical Society of America (ASA) has named Kathleen Ohman the winner of the Robert W. Young Award for Undergraduate Research in Acoustics. The ASA is the premiere international scientific society in acoustics, dedicated to increasing and diffusing the knowledge of acoustics and promoting its practical application. Ohman, a Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors student, studies the effects of blast-induced traumatic brain injury on mouse vocalizations.

"My work in Dr. Gunawardena’s lab focused on developing a methodology to advance our understanding of how proteins and other vital cargos are trafficked across the long distances in neurons. Our new system allowed us to visualize and directly measure the movement of these cargoes over a period of neural development. My success thus far has been the direct result of the opportunities and support I have received during my undergraduate research. These early experiences have helped to make my ambitions of becoming a scientific investigator on the forefront of human knowledge a possibility."

Current Activity: Continuing to develop my ability to explore fundamental problems in nature by pursuing my PhD in Biochemistry at UB.

Rupkatha Banerjee, a graduate student in Dr. Shermali Gunawardena's lab, was awarded Best Talk at the 13th Annual Neuroscience Research Day, October 11, 2019. Her research talk was focused on how Glycogen synthase kinase 3β mediated phosphorylation regulates kinesin-1 activity during axonal transport. Rupkatha's research unravels the complex control mechanisms that likely exist for motor function during axonal transport and how transport defects can affect neurodegeneration.

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.

"I loved that the Bio department offered a variety of introductory and specialized courses. I felt the Neurobiology courses and Honors research methodology course prepared me well for graduate school. I am also grateful to the department for awarding me the Knobloch fellowship that helped me pursue my research in the lab of Professor Malcolm Slaughter."
Current Activities: Gates Cambridge Scholar pursuing a PhD in Pharmacology in University of Cambridge, UK, researching arthritic pain to develop novel drug targets. 

"As an undergraduate in the department of biological sciences at UB, I was truly able to receive a unique education with the ability to customize and individualize my experience. Over the course of three years I was able to develop a research project of my own, and receive close mentorship from many faculty members. I developed skills in basic science research, as well as grant writing and public speaking. This led to a summer research internship at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, and a trip to San Diego to present my work at a national genetics conference."

Current Activity: UB Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Class of 2019

"The UB Biological Sciences department is a great place to grow as a student and a future communicator of science. Established scientists are really friendly and willing to mentor you, let you work in their labs and even let you be teaching assistants for their classes. I thoroughly enjoyed my time here!"

Current Activities: Ph.D. Student in Molecular & Cellular Biology at Duke University School of Medicine, currently doing lab rotations.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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