33 faculty and 0 courses in Biology at Saint Louis University.
- Dapeng Zhang, Research Faculty h-index 54
We are interested in using Bioinformatics, Genomics, Evolutionary Theory, and Machine Learning techniques to address various biological and health-related questions, including: Molecular mechanisms underlying biological co
Notable: “CDD: a Conserved Domain Database for the functional annotation of proteins” (2010) · 3,250 citations
- Yuqi Wang, Research Faculty h-index 41
Research in Wang's laboratory focuses on mechanisms and regulation of signaling initiated by G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR). Human GPCRs mediate responses to light, odor, taste, hormones, and neurotransmitters. Defects in GPCR signaling
Notable: “DNA hydrogel-based gene editing and drug delivery systems” (2020) · 300 citations
- Stephen Blake, Research Faculty h-index 36
Dr. Blake’s research has focused on the movement ecology and conservation of megavertebrates, concentrating especially on forest elephants in the Congo Basin and giant tortoises in the Galapagos Islands. He began his forest elephant work by
Notable: “Moving in the Anthropocene: Global reductions in terrestrial mammalian movements” (2018) · 1,290 citations
- Allison Miller, Research Faculty h-index 33
Perennial Plant Diversity and Evolution Perennial plants comprise an estimated 40% of domesticated species and 60% of seed plants. Their long lifespans influence evolutionary processes and patterns of variation in unique ways relative to an
Notable: “Rootstocks: Diversity, Domestication, and Impacts on Shoot Phenotypes” (2015) · 456 citations
- Haijun Liu, Research Faculty h-index 33
Liu lab research seeks to broadly understand the structure and dynamics of biological macromolecules that dictate the solar energy capture and transformation. This area of research spans a range of topics and is well represented in the mode
Notable: “Phycobilisomes Supply Excitations to Both Photosystems in a Megacomplex in Cyanobacteria” (2013) · 341 citations
- Jonathan Fisher, Research Faculty h-index 29
Regulation of glucose transport in skeletal muscle cells. Labs and Facilities For more information, see Fisher's research lab website .
Notable: “Activation of AMP kinase enhances sensitivity of muscle glucose transport to insulin” (2002) · 246 citations
- Jason Knouft, Research Faculty h-index 27
Current research interests are primarily focused on the effects of human activities (e.g., climate and land use change) on watershed hydrology, water quality, and the distribution of aquatic taxa across multiple spatial scales. A goal of th
Notable: “Modeling the potential impacts of climate change on streamflow in agricultural watersheds of the Midwestern United States” (2013) · 203 citations
- Laibin Huang, Research Faculty h-index 27
I am a microbiologist, and my studies have focused on “Microbial Ecology” using the combination of classical techniques (qPCR, amplicon sequence, isotopes), state-of-the-art omics (metagenomics, metatranscriptomics, and metabolomics) and bi
Notable: “Assessment of heavy metal pollution in wetland soils from the young and old reclaimed regions in the Pearl River Estuary, South China” (2010) · 435 citations
- Robert Wood, Research Faculty h-index 26
Wood's research focuses on reconstructing phylogenetic/evolutionary relationships among North American freshwater fishes. He employs primarily molecular character sets (i.e. DNA sequence data sets) in phylogenetic reconstruction, although h
Notable: “Assessing climate change impacts, sea level rise and storm surge risk in port cities: a case study on Copenhagen” (2010) · 427 citations
- Zhenguo Lin, Research Faculty h-index 25
We are broadly interested in studying the evolution of genomes and gene regulation using fungal species as a model system. The main focus of
Notable: “Recent advances in ethylene research” (2009) · 733 citations
- Kasey Fowler-Finn, Research Faculty h-index 22
Interactions between genetic and environmental variation in shaping phenotypes. The causes and consequences of phenotypic plasticity (i.e. environment-dependent expression). The role of plasticity in adaptation to environmental change. Majo
Notable: “EXPERIENCE-MEDIATED PLASTICITY IN MATE PREFERENCES: MATING ASSURANCE IN A VARIABLE ENVIRONMENT” (2011) · 112 citations
- Laurie Shornick, Department Chair h-index 18
The first project in Shornick's lab is to explore the neonatal immune response to respiratory viral infection. Infants are especially vulnerable to viral infections. This is due, in part, to an immature immune system. The laboratory uses a
Notable: “Abnormal Development of Peripheral Lymphoid Organs in Mice Deficient in Lymphotoxin” (1994) · 997 citations
- Daniel Warren, Research Faculty h-index 18
Professor Warren is broadly interested in understanding how animals respond and adapt to environmental change, particularly in response to variations in temperature and oxygen availability. At the moment, his work is centered around the phy
Notable: “The western painted turtle genome, a model for the evolution of extreme physiological adaptations in a slowly evolving lineage” (2013) · 330 citations
- Matthew Rubin, Research Faculty h-index 17
I am a quantitative geneticist with a focus on understanding how plants perceive and respond to variable environmental conditions and the role of trait variation and covariation on the response to natural and artificial selection in natural
Notable: “Natural genetic variation in Arabidopsis thaliana defense metabolism genes modulates field fitness” (2015) · 161 citations
- Wenyan Xiao, Research Faculty h-index 16
Xiao's laboratory studies the mechanism underlying epigenetic regulation of gene expression using the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana . DNA methylation is a covalent modification of DNA by addition of a methyl group to the 5-position
Notable: “Apoptosis and cancer: mutations within caspase genes” (2009) · 709 citations
- Blythe Janowiak, Research Faculty h-index 16
The Janowiak lab uses biochemistry, microbiology, and molecular genetics to explore the relationship between microbes and their environment. The lab has two main focuses: 1) Gram-positive pathogenic bacteria and their response to oxidative
Notable: “Contribution of Glutathione Peroxidase to the Virulence of Streptococcus pyogenes” (2003) · 148 citations
- Eva Gonzales, Teaching Faculty h-index 13
Gonzales is interested in plant evolutionary ecology and its implications for conservation and restoration. She focuses on questions addressing the role of evolutionary history and anthropogenic disturbance in shaping genetic variation in n
Notable: “A heterogeneity test for fine‐scale genetic structure” (2008) · 191 citations
- Elena Bray Speth, Research Faculty h-index 12
The Bray Speth group includes graduate and undergraduate biology students who conduct research on college-level biology teaching and learning. They investigate how active-learning pedagogical strategies promote understanding of complex biol
Notable: “Subcellular Localization and Functional Analysis of the Arabidopsis GTPase RabE” (2009) · 127 citations
- Sofia Origanti, Research Faculty h-index 11
Notable: “Type I Interferons Link Viral Infection to Enhanced Epithelial Turnover and Repair” (2014) · 97 citations
- Susan Spencer, Coordinator for Undergraduate Research h-index 11
One of the central questions in developmental biology is what triggers cells to adopt specific fates. For instance, what makes one cell differentiate as a neuron, while surrounding cells become glia or support cells? Spencer's laboratory is
Notable: “Regulation of EGF receptor signaling establishes pattern across the developing Drosophila retina” (1998) · 90 citations
- Brian Downes, Research Faculty h-index 10
The lab is studying new layers of specificity for the ubiquitin system, which is a major selector for regulatory protein modification and degradation. Downes and his colleagues are currently focused on a small ubiquitin-fold protein, which
Notable: “The F-box subunit of the SCF E3 complex is encoded by a diverse superfamily of genes in Arabidopsis” (2002) · 700 citations
- Laurie Russell, Teaching Faculty h-index 10
Russell's recent research has focused on the regulation of mitochondrial proliferation and metabolism in the heart, with an emphasis on the role of the transcriptional coactivator peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor g coactivator-1a
Notable: “Cardiac-Specific Induction of the Transcriptional Coactivator Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor γ Coactivator-1α Promotes Mitochondrial Biogenesis and Reversible Cardiomyopathy in a Developmental Stage-Dependent Manner” (2004) · 392 citations
- Julie Thole, Coordinator for Undergraduate Studies h-index 9
Thole is a plant molecular geneticist, and her research interests range from cell biology and microscopy to plant development and hormone responses, using the model organism Arabidopsis . Thole collaborates with Brian Downes, Ph.D.,&n
Notable: “A role for the RabA4b effector protein PI-4Kβ1 in polarized expansion of root hair cells in Arabidopsis thaliana” (2006) · 287 citations
- Laurence Lemaire, Research Faculty h-index 9
I am a developmental biologist interested in how cells acquire their identity and how these identities emerge during evolution. To address these questions, I am using the invertebrate chordate Ciona . Ciona with its fast d
Notable: “Comprehensive single-cell transcriptome lineages of a proto-vertebrate” (2019) · 257 citations
- Alaina Baker-Nigh, Teaching Faculty h-index 7
Baker-Nigh is a neuroscientist with a research background in neurodegenerative disease, particularly Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Her work in the area has included quantitation of Apolipoprotein E isoforms in human subjects by Mass Spectrometr
Notable: “Tau Kinetics in Neurons and the Human Central Nervous System” (2018) · 598 citations
- Cristy Portales-Reyes, Research Faculty h-index 7
I am an ecologist interested in understanding plant community and ecosystem responses to global change. Biodiversity is rapidly declining in many ecosystems. I use field and greenhouse experiments to investigate the mechanisms that reinforc
Notable: “Expert perspectives on global biodiversity loss and its drivers and impacts on people” (2022) · 276 citations
- Ashley Milam, Coordinator for Graduate Studies h-index 7
Milam's research interests are in the area cellular/molecular immunology and autoimmunity, with a focus on the link between affinity for self-antigen, cellular metabolism, and the primary and memory responses of CD4+ T cells. She has s
Notable: “Strength of tonic T cell receptor signaling instructs T follicular helper cell–fate decisions” (2020) · 54 citations
- Mohini Sengupta, Research Faculty h-index 6
Generating movement is essential for survival. Even simple movements like walking require precise coordination between different body parts that is not a trivial feat. Just like toddlers slowly get better at walking, motor coordination impr
Notable: “AMPA receptor mediated synaptic excitation drives state-dependent bursting in Purkinje neurons of zebrafish larvae” (2015) · 62 citations
- Alice Tipton, Teaching Faculty h-index 5
Tipton is an ecologist who studies species interactions. Her work focuses on the interactions between plants and soil fungi in grasslands and how environmental factors influence these interactions and the composition of the soil fungi commu
Notable: “Soil microbiome mediates positive plant diversity‐productivity relationships in late successional grassland species” (2019) · 111 citations
- Lindzy Dodson, Associate Chair h-index 5
Notable: “Targeted Knock-In Mice Expressing Mutations of CD28 Reveal an Essential Pathway for Costimulation” (2009) · 80 citations
- Benjamin England, Teaching Faculty
Broadly, England's research has focused on biology teaching and learning, exploring the student response to instructor practices and the effects of these responses on performance and persistence. His specific interests include modeling the
- Betsy Angeli, Teaching Faculty
- Mahboubeh Tavakoli-Nezhad, Teaching Faculty
Mahboubeh Tavakoli has performed research in cellular/molecular biology, physiology, and pharmacology with a focus on neuroscience. Her research interests are on understanding the neural regulation of circadian rhythmicity in mammals. She h
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.