Faculty Directory
Alejandro Acevedo-Gutierrez, PhD

he/him/his
360-6503653 | Biology 309
I was born and raised in México City. My siblings and I are first-generation college students whose parents encouraged and supported their dreams. I have always wanted to learn about animal behavior. I vividly remember the empty lots surrounding my house: turning over rocks to look for snakes or lizards, looking at the grass in search of grasshoppers, and... (read more in my profile)
Research interests: Role of marine mammals in their environment and their interactions with humans.
Shawn Arellano, PhD

she/her
360-6503634 | Zoom
Deep-sea, larval ecologist from Kansas!
Elizabeth Binney, PhD
| BI 365
Research interests: Ecology, general biology, plant biology, biostatistics.
Marion Brodhagen, PhD

she/her/hers
360-6502920 | Online via Zoom; please email me for link
Research interests: 1) Secondary metabolites; 2) biodegradable plastics
W. James Cooper, PhD

he/him/his
360-650-6551 | Appointments via Zoom (please email to schedule)
Research interests: Evo-Devo of Fish Bite Mechanics
Lina Dahlberg, PhD

(360) 650-4671 | BI 306
Research interests: Protein stability, turnover, and trafficking in neurons.
Deborah Donovan

she/her
360-6507251 | BI 310
I’ve been a member of the Biology Department and the Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education Group since Fall 1998. I completed my Master’s degree in Ecology at the University of California, Davis and my PhD in Zoology at the University of British Columbia. Prior to graduate school, I was a science teacher in a large, urban high school in Southern California. (More info in my profile)
Research interests: Physiological ecology of marine invertebrates; Biology education
Nick Galati, PhD

360-6502869 | BI 331
Oddly enough, my passion for science came about after I graduated from college, when I worked as a research technician in a biochemistry lab at the University of Pennsylvania. Fortunately for me, my mentor in this lab looked past my lack of research experience and hired me based on my references as a landscaper, and I am so grateful that he did.... (read more in my profile)
Research interests: Cilia and centrosome biology; Digital image analysis in microscopy
David Hooper, PhD

(360) 650-3649 | BI 307
Research interests: Ecosystem ecology, biodiversity effects on carbon and nitrogen cycles, plant community ecology, effects of riparian restoration on stream water quality
Janice Lapsansky

360-650-7337 | BI 305
Preparing students at WWU and in the community for a healthier life
Research interests: Scholarship in STEM education. Pre-hospital emergency medical research in cardiovascular care.
Suzanne Lee, PhD

she/her/hers
360-6506795 | Biology 413
My interests include nucleic acid biology, equity and inclusion in STEM, the outdoors and the performing arts (More info in my profile)
Research interests: Eukaryotic Gene Regulation; RNA biology and biochemistry; Cell Biology
Benjamin Miner, PhD

he/him/his
360-6503640 | Biology 315
I hope the information in this biography provides you with a better understanding of me as person and instructor. Students, staff, and faculty all have such interesting and unique paths, and I hope that sharing information helps us understand the importance of diverse perspectives and the need to work together to move forward. I was born in New York but grew up in southern California.
Research interests: Evolutionary ecologist interested in phenotypic plasticity of marine organisms
Craig Moyer, PhD

(360) 650-7935 | BI 406
Research interests: Marine Microbial Ecology and Geomicrobiology
Merrill Peterson, PhD

360-6503636 | BI 314 (inside Biology Dept office) (working remotely during COVID containment)
Research interests: Entomology; Ecology; Evolutionary Biology; Biodiversity Informatics
Lynn Pillitteri, PhD

(360) 650-6599 | BI 407
Research interests: Plant molecular biology and development.
Dan Pollard, PhD

He/Him/His
360-6502152 | BI 414
I am a husband, dad, musician, social justice advocate, runner, and rock climber who took a long time to see himself as a biologist
Research interests: Evolutionary genetics of protein expression in budding yeasts
Sandra Schulze, PhD
(360) 650-7267 | BI409
Research interests: Molecular biology and genetics using Drosophila as a model
Dietmar Schwarz

(360) 650-3641 | BI 411
Research interests: Evolutionary Biology,Evolutionary Ecology, Molecular Ecology
Jose Serrano-Moreno, PhD

(360) 650-3633 | BI161
Research interests: Biology Education; Student Advising; Structure and Function of Ion Channels
Myron Shekelle, PhD

| BI 231
Research interests: Evolution, ecology, and conservation, primates, Tarsiidae
Dan van Hees, PhD

he/him/his
360-6507400 | BI 231
Research interests: Seaweed physiology and ecology; chemical acclimation strategies; marine dispersal and population connectivity
Adrienne Wang, PhD

360-6507484 | BI312
Research interests: Molecular mechanisms of aging and neurodegeneration
Michael Williams, PhD

(360) 650-7483 | Biology 231
Research interests: Systematics of the Berberidaceae, ecological role of apomixis, restoration ecology
Jeff Young, PhD

360-6503638 | CB 283
Research interests: Plant Physiology and Biochemistry
Matthew Zinkgraf

360-6504885 | BI 408
Research interests: Genetics of forest trees, genomics, bioinformatics