Department News

We invite you to read recent articles featuring news and noteworthy achievements by faculty, staff and students of the Department of Biological Sciences. Also see past news highights, here.

Faculty in the news

Cambridge podcast features Gokuman discussing how human gene variations from millions of years ago can cause and prevent disease today.

5/3/23 Lindqvist studies paleogenome continuity in Southeast Alaska
4/4/23 SFARI supports Soo-Kyung Lee's research on FOXG1 Syndrome
3/21/23 NSF Research News features Aqil and Gokcumen's study of genetic variation in balancing selection
3/21/23 eLife publishes research paper by Alber Aqil and Omer Gokcumen
2/3/23 Paul Cullen excels in mentoring postdoctoral scholars
10/13/22 Gunawardena 's research suggests that HTT is involved in neuronal injury and regeneration
10/3/22 UBNow features Heather Williams and REU success
8/30/22 ScienceAdvances publishes new study: A mechanism of gene evolution generating mucin function
1/31/23 UBNow features the work of Zhen Wang
4/20/22 David Hoekstra's passion for teaching honored by Northeastern Association of Graduate Schools
5/3/23 NSF grant supports research project by Charlotte Lindqvist and team
1/13/23 Vincent Lynch co-authors paper on expression phylogenies and ancestral transcriptome reconstruction
1/13/23 Spectrum News profiles FOX G1 Center of Excellence led by Soo-Kyung Lee and Jae Lee
6/27/22 Poulin and McCabe receive SUNY Chancellor’s Awards
1/31/23 PBS cites research by Vincent Lynch to better understand elephantoid genome
1/31/23 Omer Gokcumen interviewed by WNYC Radiolab: Neanderthal's Revenge
1/31/23 Lindqvist provides insight into the evolutionary history of bears
1/31/23 Lynch Lab uses evolutionary genomics and comparative cell biology to study Peto’s paradox
3/8/22 Jessica Poulin wins MAC Outstanding Faculty Award for Student Success
1/13/23 Lee Lab research concludes Kdm6b helps control motor neurons’ fate
1/13/23 Gunawardena study finds GSK3β can act as a stop switch for the motor protein, kinesin 1
1/13/23 Victor Albert analyzes “reference genome” to trace evolutionary traits of Litchi chinensis
1/13/23 Zhen Q. Wang examines ways of transforming sugar into hydrocarbons found in gasoline

Student Spotlight

Ethan Tong wins $2,300 award for Undergraduate Research Fellowship
5/16/23
The Department of Biological Sciences is pleased to name Ethan Tong as the 2023 Philip G. Miles Undergraduate Research Fellow based in the lab of Dr. Michael C. Yu. The undergraduate fellowship includes a stipend of $2,300. The award aims to provide financial support for our students entering their senior year. The amount of each award depends on the application and available funds. Learn how to apply for our undergraduate fellowships.
Kevin Greeley wins Dean's Outstanding Senior Award for Biological Sciences
4/26/23
Kevin Greeley of Williamsville, NY, has received the 2023 Dean's Outstanding Senior Award for Biological Sciences. Greely will be graduating summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences. Greeley is a member of the university Honors College and the Biological Sciences Honors Research program. He has been performing research in Dr. Stephen Free's laboratory on Neurospora Crassa and received the Knobloch Endowment Fellowship. Greeley, a teaching assistant for BIO 200 and BIO 315, serves on the junior board of directors for the Miracle League of Western New York.
Christopher Osborne, PhD student, wins 2023 SUNY GREAT Award
4/21/23
The UB Department of Biological Sciences is pleased to announce that Christopher Allen Osborne, PhD candidate, has won the 2023 SUNY Graduate Research Empowering and Accelerating Talent (GREAT) Award. Osborne is among 33 SUNY students selected as recipients of the awards recognizing outstanding students who are conducting innovative research tackling some of society’s most pressing issues. Osborne receives $5,000 in flexible funding for research expenses, professional development and stipend supplements.
Emily Mehle wins UB Graduate School’s 2023 Excellence in Teaching Award
3/30/23
The Department of Biological Sciences is pleased to announce that Emily Mehle has won the UB Graduate School’s Excellence in Teaching Award for the year 2023. This prestigious award recognizes the skill and dedication of graduate students as a teacher. Emily is currently a PhD candidate in the lab of Dr. Denise Ferkey and was nominated for the award by Dr. Nitasha Sehgal, Clinical Assistant Professor.
Announcing Senior Fellowship Awardees 2022
4/20/22
The Department of Biological Sciences is pleased to announce the winners of this year's Senior Fellowships Awards. The fellowships aim to provide financial support for our students entering their senior year. The awards are made possible by generous alumni and friends who establish endowments for academic programs aimed at enhancing the educational experiences of our students.
Pia Schwarz wins SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence
4/20/22
The Department of Biological Sciences is pleased to announce that Pia Schwarz, a current MS student, was awarded the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence in April, 2022. In addition to her excellence in her courses, Schwarz has worked with Dr. Trevor Krabbenhoft, studying evolutionary genomics, speciation, and hybridization in North American stream fish. She has presented her work at local, national, and international conferences. Schwartz also acted as TA for Evolutionary Biology.
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 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.
Holly O’Shea wins UB Graduate School’s 2022 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.
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.
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.