Biology

Specialty areas:

Areas of Expertise: Neuroscience, Drosophila (fruit flies), Traumatic Brain Injury, Epilepsy/Seizure Disorders, Genetics

Research Synopsis:

My lab uses fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) to study the genetics and molecular biology underlying traumatic brain injury (TBI) and epilepsy (seizures). The lab is currently focused on three main epilepsy projects:

1) We are assessing genetic and environmental factors that influence seizure activity in the bang-sensitive 1 fly mutant. 2) We are investigating dietary, genetic, and microbiome factors that alter seizure behavior in the para(Shudderer) mutant. 3) We are using molecular assays to assess alternative splicing of the para(smellblind-2) mutant which is capable of suppressing seizure behavior in various seizure-prone mutants.

Undergraduate Research Availability: Please inquire for Fall 2026. 

Graduate Research Availability: I am able and interested in taking a Master's student for Fall 2026. Please reach out if you have interest!

Specialty areas:

Genetics of Breast Cancer Stem-like Cells

Please contact me if you have interest in graduate studies in my laboratory.

Specialty areas:

Effects of hibernation on blood clotting in 13-lined ground squirrels.

Specialty areas:

Cellular and Molecular Biology

Specialty areas:

Stream Ecology, Fisheries Ecology, Trout Management, Interactions of Aquatic and Terrestrial Ecosystems

Specialty areas:

Genetics, genetic disorders, genetics, molecular biology, genetics, baker's yeast, genetics, antimicrobials, genetics....

Specialty areas:

nutrition and chronic disease, nutrition through the lifespan

Specialty areas:

Mycology, fungal biodiversity, truffles, fungal symbiosis, plant-fungal interactions, co-cropping economic nut trees with truffles, and fungal ecology. Please contact me if you have any interest in undergraduate or graduate research in these or other areas.

Specialty areas:

Population Genomics

Evolutionary Ecology

Conservation Genomics

Herpetology (& other vertebrates)

Specialty areas:

Plant ecology, Plant-microbial interactions, Conservation biology, Population genetics

Specialty areas:

Reproductive physiology, reproductive toxicology, and developmental toxicology.  

Specialty areas:

Animal behavior, entomology, social insect biology, sleep biology, scientific visualization, intersection of entomology and art, cultural entomology (how insects affect human culture).

If you are a student interested in joining the Pupating Lab to conduct research as an undergraduate or in UWL's master's program, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Specialty areas:

molecular biophysics, cell biology, molecular biology, biochemistry, mathematical biology, molecular ecology

Specialty areas:

Gastrointestinal Physiology

Specialty areas:

Breeding ecology, life history, phylogeography, and evolution in birds

Specialty areas:

Mycology (Fungal Biology), Biodiversity & conservation, Biogeography, Bioinformatics, DNA barcoding, Metagenomics, Phylogenetics, Population genetics, and Systematics. Please contact me if you have any interest in undergraduate or graduate (MS) research in these topics.

Specialty areas:

Plant Ecology and Mycology.

Specialty areas:

Note: My office is moved to 213 Cartwright starting Spring 2026

Plant cell biology, protein secretion, genetic screens, molecular biology, microscopy

Please contact me if you have any interest in undergraduate or graduate (MS) research!

Also contact me with any questions about use of the Microscopes in the Howard Imaging Center on campus.

Specialty areas:

Host-parasite interactions, life-history evolution, disease ecology, invasive species dynamics, mathematical biology, toxicology

Specialty areas:

Parasitic plants
Native plants of Wisconsin
Plant taxonomy and systematics
Natural history collections
Citizen science (e.g. iNaturalist)
Currently seeking undergraduate and graduate research students.

Specialty areas:

Fisheries ecology and management, interactions among species, conservation biology, and movement ecology. 

Contact me if you have any interest in undergraduate or graduate (MS) research in these fields!

Specialty areas:

Neuroscience, Physiology, Hibernation biology

Specialty areas:

Neurophysiology, Human Anatomy & Physiology, Medical Physiology; advising Biomedical Science Concentrators and Neuroscience students

Specialty areas:

Limnology, Stream and River Ecology, Water Quality

Specialty areas:

aquatic invertebrates, freshwater ecology, disturbance ecology, community ecology, conservation biology

Specialty areas:

Platelets prevent blood loss from the vasculature and changes in the abundance and/or function of platelet compromises their ability to execute that function. Too many (thrombocythemia) or too few (thrombocytopenia) circulating platelet increase risk of thrombosis and hemorrhage, respectively. The primary goal of my research is to understand what regulates platelet production by megakaryocytes.

Specialty areas:

I study circadian rhythms and the health effects of disrupting these daily rhythms, using fruit flies as a model system.  I am particularly interested in the effect of circadian rhythm disruption on metabolism and DNA damage repair.  

Specialty areas:

Cancer Biology; Mitochondrial Dysfunction