Biology at Middlebury College

18 faculty and 40 courses in Biology at Middlebury College.

Faculty

• Catherine Combelles, Viola Ward Brinning and Elbert Calhoun Brinning Professor of Biology h-index 26
  Notable: “Cellular basis for paracrine regulation of ovarian follicle development” (2001) · 561 citations
• Grace Spatafora, Dean of Curriculum; Heinz/Given Professor of Biology and Pre-Medical Sciences h-index 19
  Notable: “A VicRK Signal Transduction System in Streptococcus mutans Affects gtfBCD , gbpB , and ftf Expression, Biofilm Formation, and Genetic Competence Development” (2005) · 298 citations
• Mark Spritzer, Professor of Biology h-index 17
  Notable: “Testosterone and dihydrotestosterone, but not estradiol, enhance survival of new hippocampal neurons in adult male rats” (2007) · 271 citations
• Alexis Mychajliw, Assistant Professor of Biology/Environmental Studies h-index 17
  Notable: “Merging paleobiology with conservation biology to guide the future of terrestrial ecosystems” (2017) · 393 citations
• David Allen, Associate Professor of Biology h-index 16
  . Students will also practice the stylistic and technical aspects of scientific writing needed to write their thesis. (BIOL 0500, CHEM 0400, MBBC 0500, MBBC 0700) (Approval required). Terms Taught Fall 2026, Winter 2027, Spring 2027 View in
  Notable: “Global importance of large‐diameter trees” (2018) · 563 citations
• Kirsten Coe, Associate Professor of Biology h-index 15
  Notable: “Changes to dryland rainfall result in rapid moss mortality and altered soil fertility” (2012) · 342 citations
• Eric Moody, Assistant Professor of Biology h-index 14
  A world of extremes, I believe we can learn and draw inspiration from the amazing organisms that survive in the face of what we would consider extreme physiological challenges. In the Evolutionary Ecosystem Ecology (E3) lab, we study how
  Notable: “Stable Isotope Turnover and Half-Life in Animal Tissues: A Literature Synthesis” (2015) · 595 citations
• Gregory Pask, Associate Professor of Biology h-index 13
  Es on the chemical language of ants and the specific genes involved in detecting social cues. By characterizing the smell receptor genes of the Indian jumping ant, Harpegnathos saltator , we hope to understand the basic sensory requirements
  Notable: “Functional agonism of insect odorant receptor ion channels” (2011) · 301 citations
• Sam Byrne, Associate Professor of Biology and Global Health h-index 9
  Infectious and non-infectious diseases, environmental epidemiology, and social and community epidemiology. Students will learn data analysis skills applicable to research in public health and other quantitative sciences. Students
  Notable: “Past SARS-CoV-2 infection protection against re-infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis” (2023) · 459 citations
• Jeremy Ward, Albert D. Mead Professor of Biology and Vice President of Academic Affairs h-index 8
  Notable: “A novel protein complex that interacts with the vitamin D3 receptor in a ligand-dependent manner and enhances VDR transactivation in a cell-free system” (1998) · 397 citations
• Erin Eggleston, Associate Professor of Biology h-index 8
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  Notable: “Non-cyanobacterial diazotrophs mediate dinitrogen fixation in biological soil crusts during early crust formation” (2015) · 132 citations
• Andrew Swafford, Assistant Professor of Biology h-index 8
  Evolutionary Cell Biology Help shape Middlebury’s future. Make a Gift Middlebury College Middlebury, VT Admissions Public Safety L
  Notable: “Prolific Origination of Eyes in Cnidaria with Co-option of Non-visual Opsins” (2018) · 90 citations
• Emily Putnam, Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology h-index 7
  Microbial genetics and food microbiomes Help shape Middlebury’s future. Make a Gift Middlebury College Middlebury, VT Admissions Public Safety
  Notable: “Antimicrobial peptide resistance mediates resilience of prominent gut commensals during inflammation” (2015) · 399 citations
• Alison Nurok, Associate Laboratory Professor of Biology
  Ed on how anthropogenic changes to the landscape affect bird populations. For example, how do grassland bird populations living in hayfields respond to mowing during the breeding season? Do birds benefit from wetland restoration in highly u
• Carolyn Dash, Assistant Laboratory Professor of Biology
• Elizabeth Stivison, Assistant Laboratory Professor of Biology
• Erik Solhaug, Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology
• Lauren Hinkel, Assistant Laboratory Professor of Biology

Courses

• Ecology and Evolution BIOL 0140
• Cell Biology and Genetics BIOL 0145
• Comparative Vertebrate Biology BIOL 0202
• Biology of Plants BIOL 0203
• Entomology BIOL 0204
• Ornithology BIOL 0205
• Biostatistics BIOL 0211
• Animal Behavior BIOL 0216
• Evolutionary Biology BIOL 0217
• Microbes and Social (In)equity BIOL 0219
• Human Genetics BIOL 0225
• Global Change Biology BIOL 0230
• Mighty-chondria BIOL 0235
• Human Toxicology BIOL 0248
• Immunology BIOL 0280
• Botanical Illustration BIOL 0282
• Advanced Immunology BIOL 0300
• Aquatic Ecology BIOL 0304
• Developmental Biology BIOL 0305
• Mammalogy BIOL 0308
• Microbiology BIOL 0310
• Molecular Genetics BIOL 0314
• Plant Molecular Physiology BIOL 0318
• Plant Community Ecology BIOL 0323
• Genomics BIOL 0324
• Conservation Genomics BIOL 0325
• Microbial Pathogenesis BIOL 0330
• The Genetics of Cancer BIOL 0331
• Receptor Biology BIOL 0333
• Applied Bioinformatics BIOL 0345
• Molecular Microbial Ecology BIOL 0365
• Animal Physiology BIOL 0370
• Advanced Field Biology BIOL 0371
• Sweet Biology BIOL 0376
• Conservation Biology BIOL 0392
• Hacking Inheritance BIOL 0405
• Topics in Biotechnology BIOL 0410
• Human Microbiome BIOL 0440
• Desert Ecology BIOL 0444
• Living Deserts BIOL 0445

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.