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

• Dr. Felicia Leammukda (felicia.leammukda@stcloudstate.edu): Research investigates STEM education and integration, teacher preparation, and curriculum and instruction.

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. Gengyun Le (gengyun.le@stcloudstate.edu): Research investigates endocrinology, musculoskeletal function, sex differences, and exercise physiology.
• Dr. JoAnn Meerschaert (jmeerschaert@stcloudstate.edu): Research investigates immunology and cell biology.
• 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. Althea Archer (althea.archer@stcloudstate.edu): Research investigates quantitative ecology, plant ecophysiology, spatial analysis, and computational biology.
• 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.