Biology Faculty and Their Research Interests

All Biology students are encouraged to participate in the research programs of Biology faculty members.  Taking part in the research process alongside one of your professors can be a valuable component of the undergraduate experience.  The benefits include learning how the process of science really works, learning valuable research techniques, and getting to know your teacher better.  Students interested in graduate school will find the research experience an instructive preview of what lies ahead, and students applying to professional schools will find it a significant asset. 

Below are brief summaries of the research programs of Biology faculty members.  To find out more, or to get involved, just contact the professor and start a conversation.

Lisa Baird, Ph.D. (University of California at Davis).

Office: ST481, email: baird@sandiego.edu, Phone: (619) 260-4073.

Developmental botany with an emphasis on symbioses for nitrogen fixation in legumes.  I investigate developmental and physiological factors which modify plant growth.  In particular I am interested in symbioses for nitrogen fixation, and plant stress responses related to environmental challenges such as disease or insect predation.  Current research focuses on physiology of switchgrass as a potential biofuel and plant response factors that confer resistance to insect predators.

Terry Bird, Ph.D. (University of British Columbia).

Office: ST432, email: tbird@sandiego.edu, Phone: (619) 260-4671.

Signal transduction and the control of gene expression in bacteria.  My research focuses on a signal transduction system that regulates a remarkable example of prokaryotic development in the purple, photosynthetic bacterium, R. centenum.  This organism survives environmental stress, like starvation, by shutting down its metabolism while transforming into a dormant cyst.  This requires that cells be able to sense when there is a lack of food so they know when to transcribe genes that are needed to form a cyst.  I use various genetic techniques to identify the proteins that perceive the decline in nutrient availability and characterize how they then signal for the activation of developmental genes.

Hugh Ellis, Ph.D. (University of Florida).

Office: ST478, email: ellis@sandiego.edu, Phone: (619) 260-4075.

Physiological ecology of birds.  I have worked with a variety of species in marine, inland (but salt) water, and terrestrial communities.  My work concentrates on questions of energetics (temperature regulation, energy budgets, activity costs), using physiological and biochemical tools to understand ecological problems.  Currently, my lab is looking at the Eared Grebe, a diving waterbird, in terms of (1) the relationship between metabolic rate and body composition; (2) the use of dietary fatty acids to determine migration routes; and (3) aerobic dive limits based on myoglobin and hemoglobin stores.

Jeremy Fields, Ph.D. (University of British Columbia).

Office: ST479, email: fields@sandiego.edu, Phone: (619) 260-4076.

Cell biology; adaptive mechanisms on the cellular level, particularly in invertebrates.  I study intertidal snails that face extended periods of extremely low oxygen during regular low tide events.  To survive, they depress their metabolic pathways and wait until water and oxygen returns.  My lab studies the biochemical mechanisms by which these snails downregulate their metabolic processes.

Department Chair

Rick Gonzalez, Ph.D. (The Pennsylvania State University).

Office: ST483, email: gonzalez@sandiego.edu, Phone: (619) 260-4077.

Respiration, ion regulation and acid/base physiology of aquatic organisms from harsh environments.  My research currently focuses on salt regulation in fish that inhabit the extremely salt-poor, acidic Rio Negro, a blackwater tributary of the Amazon River.  Such waters make it difficult for fish to regulate salts and I have identified specializations that allow certain Rio Negro fish to maintain salt balance and survive in such waters.  I am currently working to identify the specialized transport proteins responsible for salt transport across the gills of these fish.

Valerie Hohman, Ph.D. (University of Arizona).

Office: ST436, email: vhohman@sandiego.edu, Phone: (619) 260-7440.

Evolution of the vertebrate immune system.  As a comparative immunologist, I am interested in the evolution of the immune system.  My research focuses on identifying and characterizing molecules associated with secretory or mucosal immunity (protection of mucosal membranes, such as those lining gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts) in the lower vertebrates.  Current projects include a comparative analysis of J chain DNA sequences from an array of shark and ray species, and identification and characterization of polymeric immunoglobulin receptor molecules in amphibians and fish.

Curtis Loer, Ph.D. (University of California at San Diego).

Office: ST437, email: cloer@sandiego.edu, Phone: (619) 260-4129.  http://home.sandiego.edu/~cloer/    http://home.sandiego.edu/~cloer/labhome.html

Development and function of a simple nervous system using molecular biology and genetics.  My lab is interested in the development and function of neurons that use the neurotransmitter serotonin in the model organism, the roundworm C. elegans.  Our studies include identifying the genes encoding serotonin-synthetic enzymes, and the evolution of neuronal patterning of serotonin neurons by examining nematode relatives of C. elegans.

Mary Sue Lowery, Ph.D. (University of California at San Diego).

Office: ST482, email: slowery@sandiego.edu, Phone: (619) 260-4078.

Biochemistry and physiology of fish muscle.  My research examines changes in muscle metabolism in response to exercise, growth, or seasonal changes in temperature and food availability.  Juvenile fish are reared under continuous swimming at different velocities in a raceway system to explore exercise effects on aerobic performance, muscle biochemistry, stress hormones, and insulin-like growth factor.  

Mike Mayer, Ph.D. (Washington State University).

Office: ST434, email: mayer@sandiego.edu, Phone: (619) 260-4081.

Molecular systematics and microevolutionary patterns and processes in plants.  I am an evolutionary biologist who works mainly to reveal the patterns of plant relationships and the pressures and processes that underlie speciation.  My lab is currently trying to determine if one or more of the cholla cactus species of the local Anza-Borrego desert have arisen via hybridization.  We are also working on the evolution and biogeography of a large group of wildflowers of the mustard family native to western North America.  My lab generates data from morphology or DNA (primarily DNA sequences) to address our research questions.

Geoffrey Morse, Ph.D. (Harvard University).

Office: ST476, email: gmorse@sandiego.edu, Phone: (619) 260-7914.

Evolutionary ecology of insect-plant interactions.  My research looks at the role of selection in the evolution of new species.  I combine field research with molecular genetics to study the role of ecological interactions between insects and host plants in adaptive radiation, geographic differentiation, and dynamics of selection and gene flow within populations.  Current research in my laboratory involves studies on seed beetles, armored scale insects, and non-biting aquatic midges.  In addition, I am initiating a study that utilizes controlled laboratory experiments to determine the role of natural selection in generating divergence.

Marjorie Patrick, Ph.D. (University of California at Irvine).

Office: ST430, email: mpatrick@sandiego.edu, Phone: (619) 260-8863.  http://home.sandiego.edu/~mpatrick/

Osmoregulation of adult and larval mosquitoes.  I examine the ion regulatory physiology of aquatic organisms. Specifically, I am interested in understanding how various species are able to survive in environments that challenge the animal's ability to regulate ion levels of their body fluids. For example, I study larval forms of mosquitoes that can survive in water 3-times saltier than seawater.  I utilize both gene and protein expression assays to identify ion transporter proteins that are central to the animal's ion regulatory abilities and determine how they are regulated in these extreme environments.

Greg Pregill, Ph.D. (University of Kansas).

Office: ST367, email: pregill@sandiego.edu, Phone: (619) 260-4082.

Marie Simovich, Ph.D. (University of California at Riverside).

Office: ST369, email: simo@sandiego.edu, Phone: (619) 260-4083.

Population genetics and conservation of endangered species.  Aquatic organisms, which live in ephemeral (temporary) wetlands, have evolved unique adaptations to survive the dry periods and to disperse between patches of habitat. Unfortunately, many of these wetlands have been lost due to development and as a result, many of the unique species, which live in them, have become endangered.  I study the evolution, ecology and genetics of the crustaceans, which live in these habitats including several endangered species.  My findings are used to make decisions concerning wetland protection, management and conservation.

Curt Spanis, Ph.D. (University of California at Los Angeles).

Office: ST371, email: curts@sandiego.edu, Phone: (619) 260-4084.  http://sites.sandiego.edu/curts/

Neurophysiology of memory.  My interest continues to be on how memories are formed, processed, stored and recalled in the brain.  I work to trace memory processing in the hippocampus by use of a computerized electrophysiology system.  In collaboration with colleagues at other universities I use molecular assays to identify genes involved.  Students will require a background in biochemistry, computer analysis and physics. Students must demonstrate a willingness to work evenings and weekends.

Staff

Sharon Bunton                                              
Executive Assistant
bunton@sandiego.edu
(619) 260-4729; (619) 260-6804 fax
ST372

Don Gennero
Laboratory Manager
gennero@sandiego.edu
(619) 260-4080

ST368

Keith Macdonald

Laboratory Technician
keithm@sandiego.edu
(619) 260-4211
ST366