Biological Sciences (M.A.)

Advisors

The biology department faculty have diverse specializations within fields associated with Life Science Education, Biomedical Sciences, Cell and Molecular Biology, and Ecology and Evolution. You will need a graduate advisor to help plan out coursework toward your degree as a Master of Arts student in Biological Sciences. Please contact the Graduate Director for Biological Sciences (Dr. Matthew Davis, mpdavis@stcloudstate.edu) to discuss potential graduate advisor options and/or contact faculty directly if you know you are interested in a particular graduate advisor (contact information below).

Many of the course offerings during your graduate degree are flexible, allowing you to plan out a suite of courses with your faculty advisor that will complement and enhance your learning experience.

Below is a list of some of the potential faculty advisors and their research interests in our department. For a full list of faculty please visit the Department of Biological Sciences Faculty page.

Examples of Some Potential Faculty Advisors Include:

Biological Sciences: Life Science Education

Biological Sciences: Medical, Cellular, and Molecular Biology

  • Dr. Marina Cetkovic-Cvrlje (mcetkoviccvrlje@stcloudstate.edu): Research investigates factors associated with autoimmunity in experimental type 1 diabetes.
  • Dr. Oladele Gazal (osgazal@stcloudstate.edu): Research investigates mammalian physiology and endocrinology.
  • Dr. Kristin Gulrud (kpgulrud@stcloudstate.edu): Research investigates medical microbiology, bacterial toxins, and mechanisms of bacterial pathogenesis.
  • Dr. Christopher Kvaal (cakvaal@stcloudstate.edu): Research integrates bioinformatics, molecular biology, and genetics to study a variety of systems including causes of Toxoplasmosis.
  • Dr. Brian Olson (blolson@stcloudstate.edu): Research investigates the molecular biology of human diseases including the use of cell culture and biochemistry to study human proteins involved in human diseases.
  • Dr. Heiko Schoenfuss (hschoenfuss@stcloudstate.edu): A leading researcher in aquatic toxicology and functional morphology.
  • Dr. Timothy Schuh (tjschuh@stcloudstate.edu): Research investigates the early development of Xenopus laevis.

Biological Sciences: Biodiversity, Ecology, and Evolution

  • Dr. Jorge Arriagada (jearriagada@stcloudstate.edu): Research investigates the taxonomy and systematics of plants.
  • Dr. William Cook (wmcook@stcloudstate.edu): Research investigates aspects of prairie ecology including habitat fragmentation and community ecology. 
  • Dr. Matthew Davis (mpdavis@stcloudstate.edu): Research investigates the evolution and tree of life of fishes with an emphasis on fishes that live in deep-sea habitats and their associated adaptations (e.g., bioluminescence, fangs).
  • Dr. Matthew Julius (mljulius@stcloudstate.edu): Research investigates the potential applications algae may have on various industries, including alternative energy sources and dietary supplements.
  • Dr. Jennifer Lamb (jylamb@stcloudstate.edu): Research investigates the taxonomy and population genetics of amphibians.