Faculty & Graduate TA Contact Information & Office Hours
Faculty & Instructors
Listed at bottom of page: Adjunct Faculty, Research Associates and Emeritus Faculty.
A – M
Alejandro Acevedo-Gutiérrez
(2002) Associate Professor
Ph.D. Texas A&M University
Phone: 360-650-3653
Office: BI309
Acevedo@biol.wwu.edu
Teaching Interests: Marine biology and science education.
Research Interests: The role of marine mammals in their environment and their interactions with humans.
Rebecca Achterman
Instructor
Ph.D. University of Washington
Phone: 360-650-4671
Office: BI 306
Rebecca.Achterman@wwu.edu
Teaching Interests: Molecular and Cellular Biology, Microbiology, Microbiology for Health Sciences.
Research Interests: Molecular mechanisms of microbial pathogens. Current research focuses on developing tools to identify virulence factors of dermatophytes, fungal pathogens that are the causative agent of athlete's foot and ringworm.
Shawn Arellano
Marine Scientist
Phone: 360-650-7400
Office: SPMC
Shawn.Arellano@wwu.edu
Research Interests: Biological mechanisms that affect larval dispersal and successful recruitment of invertebrates, including reproduction, larval swimming behavior, larval development & physiology, settlement dynamics, and metamorphosis. Deep-sea biology, especially of chemosynthesis-based ecosystems. Invertebrate-microbial interactions.
Roger A. Anderson
(1994) Professor
Ph.D. University of California, Los Angeles
Phone: 360-650-3992
Office: BI 311
Roger.Anderson@wwu.edu
Website
Teaching Interests: Vertebrate physiology and ecology.
Research Interests: Lizard energetics, ecology, and evolution.
Elizabeth Binney
Instructor
Ph.D. University of British Columbia
Teaching Interests: General biology, ecology, (general, plant, wetland), and biostatistics.
Research Interests: Plant ecology (physiological and community); alpine, wetland, and fire ecology.
Phone: 360-650-4885
Office: BI 147
Elizabeth.Binney@wwu.edu
Marion Brodhagen
(2006) Assistant Professor
Ph.D. Oregon State University
Phone: 360-650-2920
Office: CB 282
Teaching interests: Microbiology, molecular biology, and chemical ecology.
Research Interests: Secondary metabolites of plant-associated microbes; chemical ecology; plant-microbe interactions.
Georgianne Connell
Instructor
M.S. Western Washington University
Phone: 360-650-6796
Office: BI 338
Georgianne.Connell@wwu.edu
Teaching Interests: General biology for non-science majors
Eric DeChaine
(2006) Associate Professor
Ph.D. University of Colorado, Boulder
Phone: 360-650-6575
Office: BI 237
Eric.Dechaine@wwu.edu
Website
Teaching Interests: Botany, biogeography and evolution.
Research Interests: Evolution and ecology of alpine and arctic flora, quaternary biogeography.
Deborah Donovan
(1998) Professor
Ph.D. University of British Columbia
Phone: 360-650-7251
Office: BI 310
Donovan@biol.wwu.edu
Website
Teaching interests: Invertebrate physiology, marine biology and science education.
Research Interests: Energetics and biomechanics of marine invertebrates.
Heather Fullerton
Postdoctoral Fellow
Phone: 360-650-7469
Office: BI 437
Heather.Fullerton@wwu.edu
David Hooper
(1998) Professor
Ph.D. Stanford University
Phone: 360-650-3649
Office: BI 307
Hooper@biol.wwu.edu
Teaching Interests: Plant and ecosystem ecology.
Research Interests: Effects of plant diversity and functional characteristics on ecosystem processes, nitrogen cycling, carbon cycling.
Robin Kodner
(2012) Assistant Professor
Ph.D. Harvard University
Phone: 360-650-7467
Office: BI 412
Robin.Kodner@wwu.edu
Janice M. Lapsansky
Senior Instructor
M.S. Western Washington University
Phone: 360-650-7337
Office: BI 305
Janice.Lapsansky@wwu.edu
Teaching Interests: Human anatomy and physiology, and organismal biology
Research: Prehospital methods to improve survival and preserve function for patients who suffer serious cardiac emergencies. The ResQ Trial investigates new methods of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to improve survival and to protect brain health for patients who receive CPR by emergency medical personnel during a cardiac arrest. The IMMEDIATE Trial is testing whether intervention with intravenous Glucose, Insulin and Potassium (GIK vs. placebo) initiated pre-hospital can help minimize heart muscle damage during a heart attack that might otherwise lead to death or long-term heart failure.
David S. Leaf
(1991) Professor
Ph.D. Indiana University
Phone: 360-650-3632
Office: BI 413
leaf@biol.wwu.edu
Teaching Interests: Cell and 
developmental biology.
Research: Evolution of pattern formation in insect embryos.
Benjamin Miner
(2006) Associate Professor
Ph.D. University of Florida
Phone: 360-650-3640
Office: BI 410
Benjamin.Miner@wwu.edu
Teaching Interests: Ecology and evolution.
Research Interests: Evolution and ecology of phenotypic plasticity and marine invertebrates
Craig L. Moyer
(1997) Professor
Ph.D. University of Hawaii
Phone: 360-650-7935
Office: BI 406
cmoyer@hydro.biol.wwu.ed
Research Website
Course Website
Teaching Interests: Microbial evolution and molecular phylogeny.
Research: Marine microbiology and geomicrobiology focusing on molecular approaches for exploring microbial diversity, community structure and ecology.
N – Z
Brady Olson
Marine Scientist
Ph.D. University of Washington
Phone: 360-650-7400
Office: SPMC
Brady.Olson@wwu.edu
Research Interests: Planktonic predator and prey interactions. The response of planktonic individuals, populations and communities to emerging climate stressors. Coastal planktonic food web ecology, with emphasis on copepod feeding behavior.
Joann J. Otto
(2004) Professor and Chair
Ph.D. University of California, Irvine
Phone: 360-650-4044
Office: BI 314
Joann.Otto@wwu.edu
Teaching Interests: Cell biology.
Research Interests: Actin-based cell motility and cytoskeleton.
Merrill Peterson
(1997) Professor
Ph.D. Cornell University
Phone: 360-650-3636
Office: BI 312
Peterson@biol.wwu.edu
Teaching Interests: Insect ecology.
Research Interests: Population ecology, community ecology, and evolutionary biology of herbivorous insects.
Lynn J. Pillitteri
(2008) Assistant Professor
Ph.D. University of California, Riverside
Phone: 360-650-6599
Office: BI 407
Teaching Interests: Molecular Biology.
Research Interests: Plant Development and the molecular mechanisms underlying final plant form. My lab studies the mechanisms which control the balance between cell proliferation and differentiation during development. I use the model organism Arabidopsis thaliana to investigate this broad fundamental biological question.
Sandra Schulze
(2006) Associate Professor
Ph.D. Simon Fraser University (B.C. Canada)
Phone: 360-650-7267
Office: BI 409
Sandra.Schulze@wwu.edu
Teaching Interests: Molecular and general genetics.
Research Interests: Chromatin structure and nuclear organization in Drosophila
Carrie Schwarz
Instructor
Ph.D. Pennsylvania State University
Phone: 360-650-4523
Office: BI 157
Carrie.Schwarz@wwu.edu
Teaching Interests: Ecology, Evolution, Population Dynamics
Dietmar Schwarz
(2008) Assistant Professor
Ph.D. Pennsylvania State University
Phone: 360-650-3641
Office: BI 441
Dietmar.Schwarz@wwu.edu
Website
Teaching Interests: Evolutionary and ecological genetics.
Research Interests: Evolutionary genetics, genomics, and ecology. Hybridization and speciation in host-specific insects.
José Serrano-Moreno
(2007) Senior Instructor
Ph.D. Case Western Reserve University
Phone: 360-650-3633
Office: BI 331
Teaching Interests: Cell biology, neurophysiology, organismal biology, biochemistry, and toxicology.
Research Interests: Study of the molecular mechanisms of biological membrane transport and structure and function of ion channels and transporters. Cellular mechanisms of ionic homeostasis.
Anu Singh-Cundy
(1996) Associate Professor
Ph.D. Cornell University
Phone: 360-650-7473
Office: BI 308
Anu@biol.wwu.edu
Teaching Interests: Plant growth and development, plant physiology and molecular biology.
Research Interests: Cell-cell interactions during reproductive and vegetative development in plants, self-incompatibility, graft formation.
Peter Trenham
Instructor
Ph. D. University of California, Davis
Phone: 360-650-6795
Office: BI 147
Pete.Trenham@wwu.edu
Teaching Interests: Ecology, evolution, conservation biology, herpetology
Research Interests: Amphibian biology, especially landscape ecology and population management
Carol Trent
(1989) Professor
Ph.D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Phone: 360-650-2869
Office: BI 408
Trent@biol.wwu.edu
Teaching Interests: Genetics and molecular biology.
Research: Molecular genetics of haplo-diploid sex determination.
Thomas Unfried
Instructor
Phone: 360-650-4885
Office: BI 161 (Biology Building)
Thomas.Unfried@wwu.edu
Barry Wendling
Instructor
Phone: 360-650-6795
Office: BI 235 (Herbarium)
Jeff Young
(1999) Professor
Ph.D. Ohio State University
Phone: 360-650-3638
Office: CB 283 (Chemistry Building)
Jeff.Young@wwu.edu
Website
Teaching Interests: Plant biology, genetics and functional genomics.
Research: Plant Functional Genomics.
Sylvia Yang
Marine Scientist
Phone: 360-650-7400
Office: SPMC
Sylvia.Yang@wwu.edu
Research: Ecology with focus on organism-environment interactions in intertidal marine systems. Disturbance, recovery, and ecosystem function in seagrass habitats. Integrating empirical methods with mathematical modeling to understand ecological processes.
Adjunct Faculty
John Bower
Professor, Fairhaven College
Ph.D. Cornell University
Interest: Animal Behavior, Animal Communication, Northwest Natural History and Ecology, Evolution, Music, Ornithology, Marine Bird Ecology, Pregnancy and Childbirth, Issues in Biology and Society.
Jennifer Purcell
Marine Scientist, Shannon Point Marine Center
Ph.D. University of California, Santa Barbara
Phone: 360-650-7400
Jennifer.Purcell@wwu.edu
Website
Research: Trophic importance, population dynamics, and behavior of gelatinous zooplankton, especially cnidarians and ctenophores
Suzanne Strom
Marine Scientist
Ph.D. University of Washington
Phone: 360-650-7400
Suzanne.Strom@wwu.edu
Research: Marine cyanobacterial genus Synechococcus as a model organism for exploring morphological, behavioral, and chemical resistance strategies of microbial prey against protozoan grazers.
Stephen Sulkin
Professor and Director, Shannon Point Marine Center
Ph.D. Duke University
Research: Physiology and ecology of marine invertebrate larvae
Phone: 360-650-7400
Steve.Sulkin@wwu.edu
Website
Kathy Van Alstyne
Marine Scientist, Shannon Point Marine Center
Ph.D. University of Washington
Phone: 360-650-7400
Kathy.VanAlstyne@wwu.edu
Website
Research: Chemical ecology of marine algae and invertebrates, ecology and physiology of marine algae
Research Associates
David L. Alles
Research Associate
M.S. Western Washington University
alles@biol.wwu.edu
George H. Czerlinski
Research Associate
Ph.D. University of Gottingen
Melissa Miner
Research Associate
M.S. University of California, Moss Landing Marine Lab
Mary Anne Pultz
(1993) Emeritus Associate Professor
Ph.D. Indiana University
Research: Comparative study of developmental regulatory gene function in flies and wasps.
Fred Rhoades
Research Associate
Ph.D. University of Oregon, Eugene
Research: lichen and mushroom identification and inventories; using lichens as biomonitors of air quality; 3-D photography of cryptogams.
Emeritus Faculty
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Herbert A. Brown
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Charles J. Flora
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Richard W. Fonda
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Hubertus E. Kohn
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Jal S. Parakh
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Mary Anne Pultz
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Donald Schwemmin
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David W. Schneider
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Clyde Senger
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Irwin Slesnick
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Don Williams