FOXG1 Research Center's opening celebration

Hope and love aren’t often mentioned in the same breath as scientific research, but they’re the foundation of UB’s FOXG1 Research Center.

4/26/22

The instructional philosophy, 'lead with the lab', allows our students to develop critical thinking skills while providing broad, deep, state-of-the art training in all life science disciplines.

Our students learn by doing

4/8/24

Our curriculum provides students broad and deep training at the cutting edge of modern biology through a learn-by-doing philosophy. Our approach to teaching cross-disciplinary life sciences prepares students for today's accelerating pace of discovery in biological sciences.

5/22/25 We invite you to apply to the program

We cultivate an active community of inquiry

12/18/23

Faculty teaching and research connects academic programs and experiential labs to cultivate an active community of results-oriented inquiry.

4/12/21 Learn more about our research

FOXG1 Research Center's opening celebration

12/26/25

Hope and love aren’t often mentioned in the same breath as scientific research, but they’re the foundation of UB’s FOXG1 Research Center.

previous next

UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS

GRADUATE PROGRAMS

FACULTY RESEARCH

Seminar Series

Spring 2026 Seminar Series

NSC 216 UB North Campus
Thursday, 3:45 p.m.

Details forthcoming about our
Spring 2026 Biological Sciences Seminar Series

>SEE LISTING OF PAST SEMINARS.

Also see UB-wide Calendars:

See all Seminars>

News and Notes

previous next

Honors thesis leads Pia Schwarz to publish first first-author paper
4/20/22
The Oxford Academic journal, Evolution, has published work by our undergraduate graduate, Pia Schwarz. The project started as her UB Honors thesis. Now, Schwarz is first-author of the article, 'Mosaic tri-lineage secondary contact shapes diverse genomic outcomes in darters'. As a student-athlete in our undergraduate program, Schwarz worked with Trevor Krabbenhoft, studying evolutionary genomics, speciation, and hybridization in North American stream fish. Currently, Schwarz is enrolled in the PhD Program at Yale.
Undergraduate Scholarship and Fellowship Awardees
4/20/22
Our students win awards. The Department of Biological Sciences is pleased to announce that eight undergraduate students have each won a Scholarship or Fellowship Award in 2025. We strongly encourage all our students to apply for our fellowships and scholarships. See listing of awardees.
SUNY Conversation: Reimagining Biology Education
12/29/25
Biology education shapes how students see science and themselves. This SUNY Conversations in the Disciplines event brings together faculty, instructors, researchers and students to rethink how biology curricula represent scientists and how those choices influence student engagement, belonging and success.
Genome Biology and Evolution publishes the work of UB scientists
12/26/25
Ecology and Evolution publishes a study co-authored by Corey Krabbenhoft
7/19/23
A UB study has found that even fish that have adapted to dry climates are struggling amid rising temps and reduced water availability.
Research from the Gunawardena Lab finds opposing roles for two signaling proteins in Huntington's disease
12/29/25
These proteins, which regulate the huntingtin protein’s movement in neurons, could be future drug targets.
Meet our Undergraduate Student Ambassadors
8/26/25
In a university as large as UB, our students have the opportunity to make connections and build professional relationships from the moment they step on campus. With this in mind, every year the College of Arts and Sciences assembles a group of exceptional students to serve as College Ambassadors. Nominated by faculty and staff after demonstrating academic excellence and community engagement, ambassadores are available to provide insight, advice and information to current and prospective students, as well as their families.

Department News

Spotlight Symposia Series

previous next

Soo-Kyung Lee named honoree of the 2026 Spotlight Symposia Series
12/26/25
April 24 & 25, 2026: Soo-Kyung Lee is the honoree of the College of Arts and Sciences Spotlight Symposia Series, Master Switches of the Mind: Gene Regulation and Neurodevelopmental Disorder. As the symposium honoree, Soo-Kyung Lee will be at the center of vital national and international conversations held on campus. The series is an important venue for building scholarly relationships critical to the university.

Department News

Faculty Research

previous next

Animal Systems Biology
8/23/23
Faculty in Animal Systems Biology study complex physiological and developmental processes in model animals. These systems offer important experimental advantages in their accessibility, genetic resources, or amenability to specialized biochemical and molecular analysis. The systems used include rats and mice, zebrafish, the fruit fly Drosophila, and the nematode worm C. elegans. With modern tools and techniques, our faculty creatively explore key questions relating to sensory biology and neuronal processing, gene and protein expression in metabolic syndromes, and organismal integration through endocrine signaling.
Genomics
4/19/24
Genomics faculty address questions concerning the mechanisms that drive evolutionary change. A variety of theoretical, descriptive and novel experimental approaches using recent advances in genomic methodology are being used to address the roles played by various evolutionary processes in shaping organisms and populations.
Cell and Molecular
1/5/26
At the heart of biology is the question of how cells turn genetic information into life. Cell and molecular biology investigates the processes that control gene expression, protein production and cellular function, revealing the fundamental mechanisms that power living systems.
Ecology and Evolution
8/9/24
Faculty research concerns plant evolutionary biology; development and genomics; evolutionary biology; molecular phylogenetics and population genomics; chromatin and its impact on gene expression; genome stabilit; chromosome function; evolutionary genetics of aquatic invertebrates; and community and ecosystem ecology.
Microbiology
1/5/26
Invisible life has enormous impact. Microbiology investigates how bacteria, fungi and other microorganisms survive, communicate and adapt, shaping ecosystems, health and global biological processes.
Funding and Grants
3/6/24
The Department of Biological Sciences supports the research of our faculty, postdoctoral scholars, graduate students, and undergraduates through funding obtained from many granting agencies, including both government and private foundations. Active and completed grants are listed on this page.
Signaling
11/28/23
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 signaling pathways involved in hormonal regulation, sensory transduction, and cell growth and metabolism.
Plant Biology
1/5/24
Faculty address diverse areas of plant biology. Their work investigates molecular regulation of the photosynthetic pathway in C4 plants, biosynthetic pathways of plant products that are important as pharmaceutics, growth in difficult or contaminated environments, evolutionary biology by combining state-of-the-art genomics with molecular analyses to understand plant origins and diversification.
Fungal Biology
1/5/24
Faculty explore how filamentous fungi and budding yeasts assess nutrient availability and respond appropriately by adjusting gene expression, budding patterns, cell morphology, and cell wall structure. Some of these studies involve opportunistic fungal pathogens. Our faculty also use yeast as a model organism to investigate the molecular basis of gene expression, including transcription, RNA processing and translation.
Faculty Publications
6/27/25
The Department of Biological Sciences has a strong history of research going back to our founding. Faculty, postdocs, graduate students, and undergraduate students all contribute to our research mission. We work with scientific colleagues across the University and around the world. Our productivity speaks volumes about our commitment to research. Please refer to the profile pages for an updated listing of publications by each faculty member.
Neuroscience
5/2/24
The Neuroscience faculty explore signal transduction events during sensory perception, synaptic transmission, and disease. Specific areas of interest include hearing, taste, smell, and neurodegenerative disease. This group of researchers uses a wide array of techniques spanning the fields of electrophysiology, cell and developmental biology, microscopy and imaging, and molecular genetics.
Genetics
1/5/26
Genes influence everything from development to behavior. Genetics explores how genes are turned on and off, how they interact with each other and the environment and how genetic variation shapes individuals and populations.

See All

Meet Our Undergraduate Graduates

Pia Schwarz
1/5/26
"One of the biggest impacts in setting me up for a research career was my honors research project which I completed in lab of Dr. Trevor Krabbenhoft. Being accepted into the Biological Sciences Honors program opened a new door to explore my research interests in speciation and to complete a research project during my senior year. Both the technical and soft skills that I acquired while completing my project prepared me for developing my own projects in my PhD."
Sydney Brongo
4/2/25
“I have been with the Department of Biological Sciences since 2019. I have gained invaluable mentorship from the department, which has helped with major decisions and deciding what the best path was for me. Moreover, everyday I get to see what I look forward to when I become a professor.”
Serena Teh
4/18/25
"The (BIO) department has great resources and programs that helped me prepare for graduate school. I was involved with research programs and TAing which helped me get a sense of what grad school is like."
Selin Arnavut
4/2/25
“Our amazing faculty! Each faculty member encourages students to ask questions, stay curious, engage in extracurricular activities, and pushes them to succeed in their goals. I also want to give a shout-out to the Honors Biological Program, which truly helped me think critically about research.”
Ryan Dewan
4/18/25
“The Department of Biological Sciences helped to build a strong foundation within many different disciplines to help me prepare for my goal of attending medical school. First it provided me a chance to delve deeper into research through the BIO Honors Program. The department also helped to build my network and connections as every professor has been super friendly and always willing to help"
Vincent Lactaoen
4/18/25
"I was part of the Bio Honors Program and it has helped more than I could think of. It has surrounded me with like minded individuals whose goals are also similar to mine. It has also prepared me for the rigor, complexity, and effort professional health school requires."
Aniket Maini
4/18/25
“The UB Bio Department was instrumental in finding my path - great faculty, staff and peers surrounding you is key for a supportive environment. I felt as though my science basis was super strong, I was encouraged to participate in research, and had opportunities to teach others - all things that are at the epicenter of medicine.”
Ethan Tong
4/2/25
"The Department of Biological Sciences provided me with a strong foundation in scientific principles, inquiry, and research methodology. Through coursework and research opportunities, I developed critical thinking and analytical skills that have shaped my approach to medicine. My studies in bioinformatics and computational biology have broadened my perspective and diversified my skill set, reinforcing my passion for using science to improve patient care and medical innovation."
Nathan Pfeffer
4/2/25
"The Department of Biological Sciences at UB provided me with opportunities to conduct meaningful research in biology and take courses that prepared me for grad-school level work. I was also fortunate enough to be awarded an undergraduate fellowship through the Department of Biological Sciences, the Joseph T. Abate Research Fellowship"
—Nathan Pfeffer
Abate Research Fellow
Graduated 2024
First Year PhD student at Wake Forest University