Faculty

Alejandro Acevedo-Gutiérrez
(2002) Associate Professor
Ph.D. Texas A&M University

Teaching Interests: Marine biology and science education.

Research Interests: The role of marine mammals in their environment and their interactions with humans.

Phone: 360-650-3653
Office: BI309
E-mail: Acevedo@biol.wwu.edu

Roger A. Anderson
(1994) Professor
Ph.D. University of California, Los Angeles

Teaching Interests: Vertebrate physiology and ecology.

Research Interests: Lizard energetics, ecology, and evolution.

Phone: 360-650-3992
Office: BI 311
Email: Roger.Anderson@wwu.edu

Marion Brodhagen
(2006) Assistant Professor
Ph.D. Oregon State University

Teaching interests: Microbiology, molecular biology, and chemical ecology.

Research interests: Secondary metabolites of plant-associated microbes; chemical ecology; plant-microbe interactions.

Phone: 360-650-2920
Office: BI 407
E-mail: Marion.Brodhagen@wwu.edu

Eric DeChaine
(2006) Assistant Professor
Ph.D. University of Colorado, Boulder

Teaching Interests: Botany, biogeography and evolution.

Research Interests: Evolution and ecology of alpine and arctic flora, quaternary biogeography.

Phone: 360-650-6575
Office: BI 237
Email: Eric.Dechaine@wwu.edu

Deborah Donovan
(1998) Associate Professor
Ph.D. University of British Columbia

Teaching interests: Invertebrate physiology, marine biology and science education.

Research: Energetics and biomechanics of marine invertebrates.

Phone: 360-650-7251
Office: BI 310
E-mail: Donovan@biol.wwu.edu

David Hooper
(1998) Associate Professor
Ph.D. Stanford University

Teaching Interests: Plant and ecosystem ecology.

Research: Effects of plant diversity and functional characteristics on ecosystem processes, nitrogen cycling, carbon cycling.

Phone: 360-650-3649
Office: BI 307
Email: Hooper@biol.wwu.edu

David S. Leaf
(1991) Professor
Ph.D. Indiana University

Teaching Interests: Cell and developmental biology.

Research: Evolution of pattern formation in insect embryos.

Phone: 360-650-3632
Office: BI 413
E-mail: leaf@biol.wwu.edu

Benjamin Miner
(2006) Assistant Professor
Ph.D. University of Florida

Teaching Interests: Ecology and evolution.

Research Interests: Evolution and ecology of phenotypic plasticity and marine invertebrates

Phone: 360-650-3640
Office: BI 410
Email: Benjamin.Miner@wwu.edu

Craig L. Moyer
(1997) Professor
Ph.D. University of Hawaii

Teaching Interests: Microbial evolution and molecular phylogeny.

Research: Marine microbiology and geomicrobiology focusing on molecular approaches for exploring microbial diversity, community structure and ecology.

Phone: 360-650-7935
Office: BI 406
E-mail: cmoyer@hydro.biol.wwu.edu

Joann J. Otto
(2004) Professor and Chair
Ph.D. University of California, Irvine

Teaching Interests: Cell biology.

Research Interests: Actin-based cell motility and cytoskeleton.

Phone: 360-650-4044
Office: BI 314
E-mail: Joann.Otto@wwu.edu

Merrill Peterson
(1997) Professor
Ph.D. Cornell University

Teaching Interests: Insect ecology.

Research: Population ecology, community ecology, and evolutionary biology of herbivorous insects.

Phone: 360-650-3636
Office: BI 312
Email: Peterson@biol.wwu.edu

Lynn J. Pillitteri
(2009) Assistant Professor
Ph.D. University of California, Riverside

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.

Phone: 360-650- 6599
Office: BI 147
E-mail: Lynn.Pillitteri@wwu.edu

Dietmar Schwarz
(2008) Assistant Professor
Ph.D. Pennsylvania State University

Teaching Interests: Evolutionary and ecological genetics.

Research Interests: Evolutionary genetics, genomics, and ecology. Hybridization and speciation in host-specific insects.

Phone: 360-650-3641
Office: BI 441
Email: Dietmar.Schwarz@wwu.edu

Sandra Schulze
(2006) Assistant Professor
Ph.D. Simon Fraser University (B.C. Canada)

Teaching Interests: Molecular and general genetics.

Research Interests: Chromatin structure and nuclear organization in Drosophila

Phone: 360-650-7267
Office: BI 409
E-mail: Sandra.Schulze@wwu.edu

José Serrano-Moreno
(2007) Assistant Professor
Ph.D. Case Western Reserve University

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.

Phone: 360-650-3633
Office: BI 331
Email: Jose.Serrano-Moreno@wwu.edu

Anu Singh-Cundy
(1996) Associate Professor
Ph.D. Cornell University

Teaching Interests: Plant growth and development, plant physiology and molecular biology.

Research: Cell-cell interactions during reproductive and vegetative development in plants, self-incompatibility, graft formation.

Phone: 360-650-7473
Office: BI 308
Email: Anu@biol.wwu.edu

Carol Trent
(1989) Professor
Ph.D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Teaching Interests: Genetics and molecular biology.

Research: Molecular genetics of haplo-diploid sex determination.

Phone: 360-650-2869
Office: BI 408
Email: Trent@biol.wwu.edu

Heather Van Epps
(2009) Assistant Professor
Ph.D. University of Washington

Teaching Interests: Cell and molecular biology, and neurodevelopment.

Research Interests: Molecular and cellular regulation of neurodevelopment, particularly via mRNA processing.

Phone: 360-650-2016
Office: BI 161
E-mail: Heather.VanEpps@wwu.edu

Jeff Young
(1999) Associate Professor
Ph.D. Ohio State University

Teaching Interests: Plant biology, genetics and functional genomics.

Research: Plant Functional Genomics.

Phone: 360-650-3638
Office: BI 412
Email: Young@biol.wwu.edu

Georgianne Connell
Instructor
M.S. Western Washington University

Teaching Interests: General biology for non-science majors

Phone: 360-650-6360
Office: BI 447A
E-mail: Georgianne.Connell@wwu.edu

Janice M. Lapsansky
Senior Instructor
M.S. Western Washington University

Teaching Interests: Human anatomy and physiology, and organismal biology

Research: New methods of CPR to improve survival and protect brain health for victims of cardiac arrest in the pre-hospital setting.

Phone: 360-650-7337
Office: BI 305
Email: Janice.Lapsansky@wwu.edu

Brady Olson
Instructor
Ph.D. University of Washington
M.S. Western Washington University

Phone: 360-650-7400
Office: Shannon Point Marine Center
Email: Brady.Olson@wwu.edu

Carrie Schwarz
Instructor
Ph.D. Pennsylvania State University

Teaching Interests: Ecology, Evolution, Population Dynamics

Phone: 360-650-4523
Office: BI 157
E-mail: Carrie.Schwarz@wwu.edu

Mary Anne Pultz
(1993) Emeritus Associate Professor
Ph.D. Indiana University

Research: Comparative study of developmental regulatory gene function in flies and wasps.

Phone: contact via email
Office: contact via email
E-mail: pultz@biol.wwu.edu

Fred Rhoades
Part-time Instructor and 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.

Phone: contact via email
Office: contact via email
E-mail: Fred.Rhoades@wwu.edu

Gisele Muller-Parker
Marine Scientist
Ph.D. University of California, Los Angeles

Research: Algal symbiosis in cnidarians (sea anemones, corals), with emphasis on the photosynthetic performance of the algae (zooxanthellae, zoochlorellae).

Phone: contact via email
Gisele.Muller-Parker@wwu.edu

Jennifer Purcell
Marine Scientist, Shannon Point Marine Center, Ph.D. University of California, Santa Barbara.

Research: Trophic importance, population dynamics, and behavior of gelatinous zooplankton, especially cnidarians and ctenophores

Phone: 360-650-7400
E-mail: jennifer.purcell@wwu.edu

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
E-mail: steve.sulkin@wwu.edu

Kathy Van Alstyne
Marine Scientist, Shannon Point Marine Center, Ph.D. Univ.of Washington

Research: Chemical ecology of marine algae and invertebrates, ecology and physiology of marine algae

Phone: 360-650-7400
E-mail: kathy.vanalstyne@wwu.edu