39 faculty and 18 courses in Biology at University of Maryland, College Park.
- Sean Carroll, Distinguished University Professor h-index 87
The origin of novelty is one of the central questions of evolution. We seek to understand, in general, the relative contributions of different mechanisms – gene co-option, gene duplication and loss, regulatory and protein sequence ch
Notable: “Evo-Devo and an Expanding Evolutionary Synthesis: A Genetic Theory of Morphological Evolution” (2008) · 2,132 citations
- William Fagan, Distinguished University Professor h-index 79
My research involves meshing field biology with theoretical models to address critical questions in community ecology and conservation biology. I believe that ecological theory will be strengthened if it is forced to help solve real-world p
Notable: “TRY – a global database of plant traits” (2011) · 2,669 citations
- Thomas Kocher, Professor h-index 75
More than 700 species of cichlid fishes have arisen within Lake Malawi within the last million years. We want to understand the evolutionary forces which have caused this rapid speciation. We are mapping genes for phenotypic traits associat
Notable: “Dynamics of mitochondrial DNA evolution in animals: amplification and sequencing with conserved primers.” (1989) · 5,044 citations
- Philip Johnson, Associate Professor h-index 67
We develop statistical and mathematical models to make sense of large-scale population genomic data at multiple levels. New types of data from collaborators inspire new types of theory and vice versa. Population genetics provide
Notable: “An African primate lentivirus (SIVsmclosely related to HIV-2” (1989) · 751 citations
- Gerald Wilkinson, Professor h-index 66
Dr. Wilkinson conducts research on the evolution of social behavior, with emphasis on how genetic mechanisms may influence the outcome of evolution. Recent research in the lab addresses several controversial topics in animal behavior: sexua
Notable: “Reciprocal food sharing in the vampire bat” (1984) · 1,032 citations
- William Jeffery, Distinguished University Professor h-index 61
I am interested in the evolution of development. Several different animals are used in my research. The teleost Astyanax mexicanus is a single species with eyed surface dwelling and blind cave dwelling forms. I want to understand the develo
Notable: “Genetic analysis of cavefish reveals molecular convergence in the evolution of albinism” (2005) · 540 citations
- Michael Cummings, Professor h-index 56
Notable: “PAUP * [Phylogenetic Analysis Using Parsimony (and Other Methods)]” (2004) · 5,246 citations
- Sergei Sukharev, Professor h-index 46
Dr. Sukharev investigates the principles and the molecules that cells use to detect mechanical force and pressure. Mechanosensation encompasses many phenomena from the relatively simple such as bacterial adaptation to osmotic changes in the
Notable: “A large-conductance mechanosensitive channel in E. coli encoded by mscL alone” (1994) · 748 citations
- Karen Carleton, Professor h-index 45
Evolution of visual systems and visual communication: genetics of visual system tuning; physical modeling of color signals and visual discrimination. African cichlid fishes serve as a model to explore how natural and sexual selection
Notable: “Speciation through sensory drive in cichlid fish” (2008) · 1,091 citations
- Carlos Machado, Professor h-index 38
Work in our lab is centered on understanding the processes and mechanisms that have led to the evolution of new species and to the generation of genetic diversity in two study systems: species of the Drosophila pseudoobscura group, and the
Notable: “Evolution of genes and genomes on the Drosophila phylogeny” (2007) · 2,113 citations
- Catherine Carr, Distinguished University Professor h-index 37
The brain uses time differences (ITDs) between the two ears to localize the sound. The Carr lab studies the neural circuits underlying the computation of ITD in barn owls and other reptiles. In barn owls, we have shown that ITDs are transla
Notable: “The role of dendrites in auditory coincidence detection” (1998) · 414 citations
- Daniel Butts, Associate Professor h-index 32
As we look at the world around us, we have immediate access to the composition of the visual scene into objects, as well as our relationship in space to those objects. This natural facility makes it possible to move though the
Notable: “Temporal precision in the neural code and the timescales of natural vision” (2007) · 425 citations
- Joshua Singer, Department Chair and Professor h-index 31
And Goals Generally, I want to understand how the output of a neural circuit reflects the behaviors of the individual synapses and neurons that compose it. The mammalian retina is a model circuit well suited to the study of this issue: it i
Notable: “Light Affects Mood and Learning through Distinct Retina-Brain Pathways” (2018) · 509 citations
- Jeff Maltas, Assistant Professor h-index 31
My group uses a combination of theoretical and experimental approaches to study the short-term eco-evolutionary dynamics that emerge in large, rapidly evolving populations such as bacteria, yeast, and cancer. We leverage recent technologica
Notable: “Extreme sensitivity biosensing platform based on hyperbolic metamaterials” (2016) · 766 citations
- Alexandra Bely, Professor h-index 31
Evolution of regeneration and asexual reproduction; invertebrate biology; freshwater biology. Education B.S., University of Maryland, College Park, 1991 (General Biology) Ph.D., State University of New York-Stony Brook, D
Notable: “Evolution of animal regeneration: re-emergence of a field” (2009) · 539 citations
- Eric Haag, Professor h-index 29
Sexual reproduction is an ancient process found across the Eukaryotes. In animals and plants, sex is typically fully outcrossing, whether through hermaphrodites or separate male and female sexes. However, some species abandon outcrossing so
Notable: “Developmental system drift and flexibility in evolutionary trajectories” (2001) · 717 citations
- Ricardo C. Araneda, Professor h-index 26
Our long-term research goal is to understand how neuromodulatory transmitters regulate the function of brain circuits and influence sensory processing. Specifically, we use olfaction as a model system to learn how neuromodulators such as ac
Notable: “5-Hydroxytryptamine2 and 5-hydroxytryptamine1A receptors mediate opposing responses on membrane excitability in rat association cortex” (1991) · 630 citations
- Vadim Karatayev, William J. Higgins Assistant Professor h-index 17
I combine theory and large-scale field data to understand conditions that erode or reinforce resilience in complex ecosystems. In the process, I explore fundamental questions at the interface of community ecology, landscape ecolog
Notable: “Recent declines in salmon body size impact ecosystems and fisheries” (2020) · 204 citations
- Scott Juntti, Associate Professor h-index 16
How does the brain produce social behaviors, and how do these evolve? The Juntti Lab opened at the University of Maryland in 2017, where we focus on essential yet variable behaviors including mating, aggression, and parenting. Our model sys
Notable: “Sexually Dimorphic Neurons in the Ventromedial Hypothalamus Govern Mating in Both Sexes and Aggression in Males” (2013) · 728 citations
- Emily Bruns, Associate Professor h-index 14
Research in my lab focuses on the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of infectious disease in natural populations. A deeper look at any natural ecosystem, community or indeed individual will find it teeming with potentially harmful, disea
Notable: “Interindividual Variation in the Pharmacokinetics of Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol as Related to Genetic Polymorphisms in CYP2C9” (2008) · 100 citations
- Juan Angueyra, Assistant Professor h-index 13
Because of its potential applications in regenerative medicine, one of the ultimate goals of neuroscience is to build a nervous system from scratch. Despite incredible advances over the last few decades in identifying the different cell typ
Notable: “Photoreceptor Outer Segment-like Structures in Long-Term 3D Retinas from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells” (2017) · 262 citations
- Melissa Caras, Assistant Professor h-index 12
The ability to improve and refine sensory facilities with practice - a process known as perceptual learning - is critical for the acquisition of a variety of complex behaviors, including speech and language. The fundamental importance of pe
Notable: “Top-down modulation of sensory cortex gates perceptual learning” (2017) · 125 citations
- Colenso Speer, Associate Professor h-index 10
What are the molecular and activity-dependent mechanisms instructing neural circuit development? What is the logic of synaptic connectivity within neural circuits and how does brain structure establish brain function? How do sensory systems
Notable: “High-performance probes for light and electron microscopy” (2015) · 292 citations
- Maira Goytia, Senior Lecturer h-index 10
Notable: “Crystal structure, catalytic mechanism, and mitogenic properties of Trypanosoma cruzi proline racemase” (2006) · 98 citations
- Kimberly Paczolt, Senior Lecturer & Director of Undergraduate Studies h-index 9
Notable: “A practical guide to methods of parentage analysis” (2009) · 501 citations
- Julia Van Etten, Assistant Professor h-index 8
The goal of my research program is to understand how horizontal processes like DNA transfer and organellogenesis arise from ecological interactions and create new ones, and how this affects evolutionary outcomes across microbial communities
Notable: “Horizontal Gene Transfer in Eukaryotes: Not if, but How Much?” (2020) · 234 citations
- Nicholas Fletcher, Senior Lecturer h-index 7
My research focuses on speciation, population genetics, conservation genomics, and pedagogy. I am broadly interested in the use of genomic tools to study the evolutionary history and conservation of wild organisms. I am also passionate abou
Notable: “The absence of intrarenal ACE protects against hypertension” (2013) · 188 citations
- Hilary S. Bierman, Principal Lecturer h-index 7
Notable: “Biophysics of directional hearing in the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis)” (2014) · 51 citations
- Sara A. Lombardi, Principal Lecturer h-index 6
My research focuses on physiological ecology, particularly, the impacts of predation and ambient oxygen concentration on metabolic physiology and energy allocation. I am especially interested in research which has conservation and managemen
Notable: “Ecological effects on metabolic scaling: amphipod responses to fish predators in freshwater springs” (2011) · 108 citations
- Robert Infantino, Associate Dean Undergraduate Education h-index 4
Comparative Animal Physiology, particularly, comparative physiology of gas exchange and its regulation, blood gas transport and the circulatory system of vertebrates, with special emphasis on ontogenetic aspects of these physiological syste
Notable: “The Respiratory Transition from Water to Air Breathing During Amphibian Metamorphosis” (1994) · 70 citations
- Caitlin Fox, Senior Lecturer
- Chan Lin, Senior Lecturer
I am a broadly trained invertebrate neurobiologist who integrates brain-imaging techniques with field biology to study nervous system function and evolution. By comparing the brain arrangements of various insects and crustaceans with extrao
- Cornelia Van der Weele, Lecturer
I am interested in the evolution of growth and development. My latest work is focused on hypoxia and embryonic hematopoiesis in cave- and surface fish of the species Astyanax mexicanus. Previous work was centered around the cellular and mol
- Hadiya Woodham, Principal Lecturer
- Jonathan Simon, Professor
Can the brain be thought of as a kind of computer? While this may be a topic of debate, few would deny that the brain does perform computations. The subject of my research program is to identify, and describe quantitatively, such neural com
- Joshua Weitz, Professor and Clark Leadership Chair in Data Analytics
The central focus of my research is to understand how viruses transform human and environmental health. My group develops theories and computational models of how viral infections modulate the fates of individuals, population and comm
- Justicia Opoku-Edusei, Senior Lecturer
- Mary Ann Rankin, Professor
- Nikolas Francis, Assistant Professor
Roster/catalog compiled from the college’s public directory. Faculty counts are directory headcounts; the named list may be a subset. h-index shown only for ORCID-backed or high-confidence OpenAlex matches. Data as of 2026-07-02.