Faculty
My lab is interested in understanding the mechanism of large-scale protein polymerization. Protein misfolding can lead to polymerization and we are interested in how polyglutamine repeats can induce such misfolding leading to aggregation and disease. We are also interested in applying protein design to create polymers for use in biomaterials for applications in nanotechnology.
In the Hoang lab we are interested in understanding how cells change shape and move to physically mould an embryo into its final shape and form. We are also interested in how these mechanisms evolve and change to produce the morphological differences you see between different embryos. To study these questions we work with the model system, Drosophila melanogaster and other insects.
In the Johnson research group we are exploring paradigms for how nanoscale structures and molecular machines are assembled and regulated by living systems. Using creativity and imagination, we are "bending the rules" to design and build novel "green" nano-architectures with enhanced functionalities, such as energy-transducing connectors and environmental sensors.
Philip Meneely has been working with C. elegans for more than 25 years, beginning when he was a graduate student. He currently works on genes affecting meiosis. He teaches genetics, molecular biology, and bioinformatics.
The Morris lab is working to understand the molecular basis of vertebrate axon guidance. We are using the embryonic visual system of the frog, Xenopus laevis, as a model for studies of axon pathfinding. We are examining the role of the hedgehog genes in retinal axon guidance and are also exploring the function of the extracellular matrix in defining axon pathways in the developing nervous system.
The Okeke lab studies interactions between Escherichia coli bacteria and their eukaryotic hosts. In particular, we study in the molecular basis for exceptional colonizing ability of some bacterial strains. We are also interested in the genetic basis for antimicrobial resistance.
Elizabeth Ufford Green Professor of Natural Sciences, Professor of Biology, and Interim Chair
We are interested in negative selection, a process that helps rid our immune system of autoreactive cells (in our case, T lymphocytes). Specifically, we want to understand why immature T cells die in response to T cell receptor signals and their mature descendants not only survive but divide in response to the same signal. This difference in cell fate underlies our ability to fend off infection without destroying our own cells.
Assistant Professor of Biology
The Wilson lab investigates the coevolution of plants and the environment over the last 475 million years. We employ mathematical models, chemical analysis of fossils, comparative anatomy, and experimental plant physiology to reanimate extinct plants, focusing on examples with unusual anatomy, development, or growth forms. These insights shed light on past (and future) climate change, the evolutionary trajectory of plant adaptations, and ecosystem responses to mass extinctions.
Visiting Faculty
- Heidi Johnson
- Jodi Schotennfeld-Roames
- Sarah Smith
- Jessica Tanis
Staff
- Administrative support:
Lisa Griffin 610-896-1187
Meredith Weiss 610-896-4204
- Research Assistants:
Nicole Cunninghman
Alevtina Domashenko
Jennifer Hofmann
Bashkim Kokona
Erin Remaly
- Joanne Brown, Purchasing
- Ed Butler, Supervisor
- George Neusch, Instrument Specialist
- Dora Wong, Science Librarian
- Phone Numbers:
Academic Year 610-896-1187
Summer Time 610-896-1212 - Fax Number: 610-896-4963
Contact Information
Judy Owen, Interim Chair
Department of Biology
370 Lancaster Ave.
Haverford, PA 19041
most recently updated: 08/27/2012