Biological Sciences at UB

Zoom image: Gunawardena Lab Gunawardena Lab.

Gunawardena Lab

The Department of Biological Sciences at the University at Buffalo is committed to conducting innovative research and providing outstanding instruction to students at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Our Department includes both distinguished faculty and upcoming, cutting-edge researchers who teach and conduct research in life sciences in interdisciplinary fields centered in three areas: Biochemistry of Gene Expression, Molecular Evolution and Genomics, and Sensory Transduction and Development.

We have a long tradition of excellence in undergraduate and graduate teaching – a substantial number of department faculty have won awards for teaching excellence.

The curriculum of our undergraduate program emphasizes “learning by doing.” Our instructional philosophy of “lead with the lab” allows students at every level to develop critical thinking skills while providing broad, deep and state-of-the art training in all life science disciplines.

Our graduate programs offer superior training in a supportive, rigorous research environment. Graduate students in the Department may choose from three unique flexible graduate programs, each designed to prepare students for a variety of careers.

Faculty Research

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

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Signaling
    2/13/24

    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.

  • Cell and Molecular
    6/11/24

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

  • 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.

  • Neuroscience
    2/2/24

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

  • Fungal Biology
    2/19/24

    Our faculty study cell biology and signaling 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.

  • 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.

  • Animal Models
    6/6/18

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

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