Department of Biological Sciences

Our alumni shape the future

4/26/22

We take great pride in the achievements and success of our alumni, many of whom enjoy distinguished careers in the Biological, Biomedical and related fields. Pictured at the UB CAS graduate commencement, May 15, 2021 (left to right): Haniam Maria (PhD graduate), Laura Rusche (faculty), Paul Cullen (faculty), Aditi Prabhakar (PhD graduate), Rupkatha Banerjee (PhD graduate), Shermali Gunawardena (faculty).

1/27/22 Learn more about our alumni

Our students learn by doing

4/26/22

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.

9/19/22 We invite you to apply to the program

Our faculty are global leaders in FoxG1 research

4/26/22

Two UB scientists work to find a cure for daughter's rare disease. These neurobiologists and parents are now global leaders in FoxG1 research.

WGRZ-TV News Broadcast

Our faculty 'lead with the lab'

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.

We cultivate an active community of inquiry

4/26/22

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

BIO students help get bees buzzin’ at UB

4/26/22

Our Genetics course (BIO-319) inspires the study of 240,000 bees buzzing in six hives on the North Campus, thanks to the persistence of a bee-loving undergradute student and faculty members. Read UB Now.

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Fall 2022 Events

Seminar Series

Thursdays at 4:00 p.m.
Natural Sciences Complex (NSC) 215

October 6, 2022
Graduate Research Showcase
-Beatriz Gonzales, “Regulation of Cdc42 Protein Levels Impacts a Cell Differentiation Program in Yeast”
-Emily Carroll, “Sterol cleaving enzyme identified in the foxglove plant”

October 13, 2022
Dr. David Shechner, University of Washington, “Meet the neighbors: A universal technology for probing RNA-interactions and RNA-scaffolded subcellular compartments in situ”

October 20, 2022
Dr. Xiuqian Mu, UB JSMBS, “Genetic and epigenetic control of retinal cell differentiation”

October 27, 2022
Dr. Ekin Atilla-Gokcumen, UB Chemistry, “Ceramide-1-phosphate regulates cellular senescence”

November 3, 2022
Nicole Martinez, Stanford, “Uncovering new functions of RNA modifications in mRNA processing”

November 10, 2022
Stephanie Gupton, UNC, “Coordinating Cytoskeletal Dynamics and Membrane Remodeling in Neuronal Morphogenesis”

November 17, 2022
Sarah Walker, UB Biological Sciences, “Translational control of gene expression: Unexpected mechanisms and consequences of eIF4 factor regulation”

December 1, 2022
Dave Toczyski, UCSF, “Regulation of the cell cycle and metabolism by the ubiquitin pathway (and visa versa)”

December 8, 2022
Adam Session, SUNY-Binghamton, “K-mer identification of allopolyploid subgenomes”

SEE FULL LISTING OF SEMINARS

Noteworthy

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UBNow features Heather Williams and REU success
10/3/22
UB News columnist Charlotte Hsu presents an interview with Heather Williams about the success of the department’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU). From June to July, UB biologists hosted seven undergraduates from various institutions working in labs focused on a broad range of topics within biology. The eight-week program, funded by proceeds from the National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science, covers students’ travel and living expenses, and also includes a stipend for participants. Undergraduate students are invited to apply for REU Summer 2023.
UBNow features the work of Zhen Wang
10/3/22
Dr. Zhen Wang's research project aims to pinpoint the genes that plants use to produce medicinal compounds could enable scientists to explore faster, more efficient methods of manufacturing these substances. This could include genetically engineering microbes to synthesize the drugs. One goal of the project is to decipher how the foxglove plant Digitalis lanata makes compounds called cardenolides, which have pharmaceutical relevance. See feature by UB Now.
Poulin and McCabe receive SUNY Chancellor’s Awards
6/27/22
The Department of Biological Sciences is pleased to announce that Dr. Jessica Poulin, Clinical Associate Professor, and, Barbara McCabe, Instructional Supoort Staff, have each received the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence. The Chancellor’s Awards acknowledge and provide system-wide recognition for consistently superior professional achievement and the ongoing pursuit of excellence. See the UB Now story, here.
PBS cites research by Vincent Lynch to better understand elephantoid genome
6/22/22
The Wolly Mammoth always attracts attention, which is why PBS Digital Studios features the episode, How To Build A Woolly Mammoth (But Should We?) Presented by PBS Eons, host Blake de Pastino is on a "quest to understand how evolution basically built the woolly mammoth, we may have found the blueprints for building them ourselves." The segment cites Vincent Lynch's research on elephantoid genome.
Omer Gokcumen interviewed by WNYC Radiolab: Neanderthal's Revenge
6/15/22
Omer Gokcumen's work on evolutionary genomics was featured on Radioshop, in a segment entitled Neanderthal's Revenge. The program's co-host, Latif Nasser, reported on his own "medical journey that made him not only question what was going on in his body, but also dig into the secret genetic story of how we became human." While looking into the origins of Crohn's Disease, Nasser came upon a research article by Gokcumen. The full podcast is here.

Department News

Faculty News

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ScienceAdvances publishes new study: A mechanism of gene evolution generating mucin function
8/30/22
The interdisciplinary journal, ScienceAdvances, has published a study on mucins. The study demonstrates how a long-time partnership between evolutionary biologists and dental researchers at UB is yielding new insights into genes and proteins that are also important to human health. Senior authors are Omer Gokcumen (UB associate professor of biological sciences) and Stefan Ruhl (interim dean of the UB School of Dental Medicine and a professor of oral biology). The first author is Petar Pajic, UB PhD student in biological sciences. “My team has been studying mucins for many decades, and my collaboration with Dr. Gokcumen has brought this research to a new level by revealing all these exciting novel insights into their evolutionary genetics,” Ruhl says. “At this advanced stage of my career, it is also immensely gratifying to see that the flame of scientific curiosity is being carried on by a new generation of young investigators like Petar Pajic.”
David Hoekstra's passion for teaching honored by Northeastern Association of Graduate Schools
4/20/22
Dr. David Hoekstra, Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, was awarded the 2022 Graduate Faculty Teaching Award by the Northeastern Association of Graduate Schools (NAGS) at the Master’s level. NAGS is comprised of all graduate schools across the Northeast and also includes graduate schools in the Canadian southeast.
NSF grant supports research project by Charlotte Lindqvist and team
8/9/22
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded a grant, totaling $2,945,234., to support the UB Biological Sciences research study by Charlotte Lindqvist as Principal Investigator. Co-principal investigators are Jason Briner, Elizabeth Thomas, and Corey Krabbenhoft.
Vincent Lynch co-authors paper on expression phylogenies and ancestral transcriptome reconstruction
7/20/22
“Knowing which genes are active among different species during pregnancy tells us about how evolution works,” says senior author Vincent J. Lynch, associate professor of biological sciences, College of Arts and Sciences. “But it also tells us about what makes a healthy pregnancy, and how things might go wrong. We’re finding the genes that establish the right kind of environment for healthy human pregnancies. If those genes are not expressed in the right way, that might give rise to problems.” Read article by Charlotte Hsu.
Spectrum News profiles FOX G1 Center of Excellence led by Soo-Kyung Lee and Jae Lee
7/11/22
Spectrum, the leading source of news and expert opinion on autism research, reports on the work of UB Biological Sciences Professors Soo and Jae Lee in "portraits of scientists who are making a mark on autism research". Read the Spectrum News/Profiles, here.
Lindqvist provides insight into the evolutionary history of bears
6/8/22
The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences published a study led by Charlotte Lindqvist that analyzed the genomes of 64 modern polar and brown bears, including several new genomes from Alaska, a state where both species are found. The team also produced a new, more complete genome for a polar bear that lived 115,000 to 130,000 years ago in Norway’s Svalbard archipelago. DNA for the ancient polar bear was extracted from a tooth attached to a subfossil jawbone, which is now housed at the Natural History Museum at the University of Oslo. Read the news story by Charlotte Hsu.

Department News

Student and Alumni Highlights

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Campbell Vogt wins grant from Rochester Academy of Sciences
2/28/22
The UB Department of Biological Sciences is pleased to announce that Campbell Vogt, a student in our Honors program, has won a grant from the Rochester Academy of Sciences to carry out research with Dr. Laura Rusche. Vogt’s research focuses on the evolutionary history of the yeast protein Sir3, which blocks gene expression, and is a major focus of the Rusche lab.
Holly O’Shea wins UB Graduate School’s Excellence in Teaching Award
4/20/22
The Department of Biological Sciences is proud to announce that Holly O’Shea has won the UB Graduate School’s Excellence in Teaching Award for the year 2022. This prestigious award recognizes the skill and dedication of graduate students as a teacher. Holly is currently a PhD candidate in the lab of Dr. Soo Lee, Empire Innovation Professor and was co-nominated for the award by Dr. Jae Lee, Professor, and Dr. Jessica Poulin, Clinical Associate Professor.
BIO Major Katherine Camper named Furnas Scholar-Athlete
5/10/22
Congratulations to Katherine Camper on being named UB's Furnas Scholar-Athlete of 2022. Learn more.
BIO major Paul Dewan, Jr., wins Goldwater Fellowship
4/20/22
The Department of Biological Sciences is pleased to announce that Paul Dewan, Jr, has won the prestigious Goldwater Fellowship for 2022. Dewan, a junior majoring in biological sciences, participates in the department’s Honors program, and conducts research in the lab of Dr. Priya Banerjee, Department of Physics.
BIO major Monique Kapur-Mauleon graduates in just one year
4/20/22
Recent graduate Monique Kapur-Mauleon had her pick of dental school offers, but has chosen to stay at UB. Monique’s highly inquisitive approach to learning immediately stood out to her Developmental Biology professor, Dr. Ferkey, who looks forward to keeping in touch with Monique as she progresses through her master’s and doctoral degrees. Read the UB News story.

Research Areas

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Signaling
5/4/18
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.
Neuroscience
5/4/18
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.
Ecology and Evolution
5/4/18
Our research concerns plant evolutionary biology; molecular phylogenetics and population genomics; chromatin and gene expression; genome stability; and the genetics of aquatic invertebrates.
Genetics
5/4/18
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.
Fungal Biology
5/4/18
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.
Animal Models
6/6/18
Faculty study essential biological processes with particular relevance to the understanding of animal life.
Cell and Molecular
5/4/18
Cell and Molecular faculty study the regulation of protein expression, from transcription to translation to post-translational modification.
Plant Science
5/4/18
Faculty research focuses on photosynthesis, plant evolution, plant genomics, gene regulation, environmental remediation, and the metabolic engineering of pharmaceutical compounds.
Microbiology
6/6/18
Microbiology faculty study microorganisms including viruses, bacteria, and protozoans.
Genomics
5/4/18
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.

See All

Fall 2022 Events

Noteworthy

Faculty News

Student and Alumni Highlights

Research Areas

UB Biological Sciences Faculty News

Department of Biological Sciences