Faculty

Michelle E. Afkhami

Associate Professor

mea187@miami.edu

(305) 284-1796
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My lab studies the ecology, evolution, and genomics of species interactions at scales ranging from genes to communities using a combination of long term field and greenhouse experiments, mathematical modeling, and laboratory-based molecular methods. While our research spans all types of interactions, we are especially interested in positive...
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Christian Agatemor

Asst. Professor
Secondary Faculty in Biology

cxa903@miami.edu

(305) 284-8480
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Research at the Agatemor Lab interfaces between chemistry and cell biology. Specifically, the lab develops chemistry-based tools to study and regulate biological systems. These tools include bioorthogonal chemical reporters, bespoke glycans and glycan ligands, redox-active biomaterials, and deep eutectic solvents. The overarching goal is to use...
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James D Baker

Research Associate Professor

j.baker2@miami.edu

(305) 284-9055
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I study the mechanisms that regulate and underlie ciliary development in animals (Drosophila in particular).  While cilia are ubiquitous on animal cells and intriguing for their fantastic ultrastructure, they have only recently been recognized as having fundamental roles in development and human disease.  In my lab we...
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Winter A. Beckles

Lecturer
Undergraduate Laboratory Coordinator

w.beckles@umiami.edu

(305) 284-9506
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I am interested in the mechanisms that drive evolution among wild populations introduced to new habitats. In particular, I am interested in how animal signals evolve to maintain efficacy in novel signaling environments, and how these changes can in turn influence important behaviors associated with mate choice, competition, and predator evasion....
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Oliver Bracko

Asst. Professor

oxb198@miami.edu

(305) 284-6885
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My research focuses on elucidating common mechanisms of cognitive decline in neurodegenerative disease. We employ high resolution in vivo multiphoton imaging and animal behavior in mouse models to identify novel mechanisms connecting neurodegenerative diseases. This approach allows us to follow complex physiological processes on both cellular...
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William E Browne

Associate Professor

w.browne@miami.edu

(305) 284-3319
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Research in my lab is focused on investigating patterns of change underlying animal diversity.  We employ a wide range of experimental approaches to explore the molecular genetic relationship between genotype and phenotype from both developmental and evolutionary perspectives. Current work in the lab primarily use cultures of the lobate...
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Jose Maria Cardoso da Silva

Professor
Chair of Geography and Sustainable Development
Secondary Faculty in Biology

jxc1446@miami.edu

(305) 284-6890
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A native of Belém, Pará, in the Brazilian Amazon, Dr. José Maria Cardoso da Silva is a biogeographer who studies the relationships between biodiversity conservation and development in tropical regions. Supported by more than 20 years of field experience studying different tropical socio-ecological systems, his research...
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Kevin M Collins

Assoc. Professor

kmc117@miami.edu

(305) 284-9058
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Our fundamental goal is to understand how neurons communicate in circuits to establish an appropriate level of activity that produces a robust, stable behavior. Our approach is to analyze in detail a model neural circuit that controls egg-laying behavior in the nematode C. elegans. We are taking advantage of the optical clarity and powerful...
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Julia Dallman

Assoc. Professor

j.dallman@miami.edu

(305) 284-3954
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Determining the mechanisms by which genes influence behavior is the central goal of my research program. The genome-sequencing revolution has identified thousands of genetic mutations that cause neurological disorders that impact human behavior. For any given disorder, mutations in hundreds of different genes can similarly affect behavior, and...
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‌Don DeAngelis

Research Professor

ddeangelis@miami.edu

(305) 284-1690
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Daniel J. DiResta

Senior Lecturer

diresta@miami.edu

(305) 284-1715
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My current research interests include shallow water, benthic communities of tropical, marine ecosystems; I am interested in the population dynamics of exploited species, the effects of natural and anthropogenic disturbances on habitat quality, recruitment dynamics and community structure, and resource management strategies for marine protected...
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Kenneth Feeley

Assoc. Professor

kxf347@miami.edu

(305) 284-5748
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I study the ecology and biogeography of tropical forests. Specifically, my research is focused on how the structure, dynamics, composition, and geographic distribution of tropical forests (and their constituent tree species) are affected by large-scale anthropogenic disturbances such as climate change, deforestation, and habitat fragmentation....
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Michael Stephen Gaines

Professor
Assistant Provost, Pre-Health Advising and Mentoring
Assistant Provost, Undergraduate Research and Community Outreach

m.gaines@miami.edu

(305) 284-5058
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Michael Gaines is assistant provost of undergraduate research and community outreach. Dr. Gaines is director of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Undergraduate Education Program. The major goal of the program is to increase the number of disadvantaged students in biomedical research careers. He also directs an NIH Bridge Program between the...
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Paul Andrew Groff

Senior Lecturer

groff@miami.edu

(305) 284-3031
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I'm interested in the interface between plant evolution, systematics, and ecology. The species that have been recognized by biologists sometimes turn out to have surprising relationships in evolutionary history, and DNA sequence data reveal "cryptic species" that had previously been overlooked. I'm also interested in the...
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Mason Klein

Asst. Professor
Secondary Faculty in Biology

mxk742@miami.edu

(305) 284-7129
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What do animals do, and how exactly do their actions arise?  My lab's research is in biophysics and neuroscience.  We use insect model systems to better understand the transformation from sensory input to motor output, a fundamental goal of systems neuroscience.  This input-output path travels from the molecular...
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Dana M Krempels

Senior Lecturer

dana@miami.edu

(305) 284-3977
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As a senior lecturer, I strive to teach students to think critically and skeptically, to educate themselves thoroughly via multiple, reliable sources, and to think for themselves.  Evolutionary theory provides the basis for this enterprise, as it allows me to show students how to recognize the differences between science, pseudoscience,...
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Zhongmin Lu

Assoc. Professor

zlu@miami.edu

(305) 284-5048
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I am interested in sensory neurobiology with the primary focus on the sense of hearing. My Previous work emphasized on central auditory processing, sound localization, and ultrasonic detection in fish. The current research of my lab is to use the zebrafish (Danio rerio) to model hearing disorders in humans. The zebrafish has become an...
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Charles H. Mallery

Assoc. Professor
Associate Dean for Graduate and Administrative Services

cmallery@miami.edu

(305) 284-3188
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I have served as a technical swim official to the National Governing Body of Swimming in the United States, U.S.A. Swimming and to the NCAA , where I have been the referee for over 25 National Championships, 4 U.S. Olympic Festivals, and 4 Olympic Trials. I Worked as a technical swim official on the pool deck...
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Kevin McCracken

Assoc. Professor
KUSHLAN CHAIR IN WATERBIRD BIOLOGY & CONSERVATION

kmccrack@miami.edu

(305) 284-9058
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AREAS OF FOCUS Evolutionary Biology Tropical Ecology
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Lena Maria Mueller

Asst. Professor

lmm357@miami.edu

(305) 284-0270
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Research in my lab aims to elucidate the molecular basis of an intimate partnership of plant roots and symbiotic soil fungi, referred to as arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) symbiosis. AM symbiosis is a mutually beneficial cross-kingdom species interaction centered on nutrient exchange: while the fungus provides the plant with mineral nutrients such as...
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Vivek Nagendra Prakash

Asst. Professor
SECONDARY FACULTY IN BIOLOGY

vprakash@miami.edu

(305) 284-7121
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The Prakash Lab at the University of Miami is a multidisciplinary Organismal Biomechanics Lab, working at the interface of Physics, Engineering and Biology. Our work is driven by a sense of curiosity, fascination and discovery. Organismal behavior results from emergent properties of a large number of physical and biological processes occurring...
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Sandra Rieger

Assoc. Professor

sxr1132@miami.edu

(305) 284-9935
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How sensory nerve endings in the skin interact with skin cells, such as epidermal keratinocytes, is a fundamentally understudied research area. This knowledge ishowever highly important as these interactions promote wound repair and limb regeneration, and their perturbations are known to lead to disease conditions like peripheral neuropathy. The...
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Malancha Sarkar

Lecturer

m.sarkar@miami.edu

(305) 284-3879
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My main focus is teaching but I do participate in research in my spare time. I am interested in understanding cancer drug resistance and also in development of new drugs from natural resources.
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Odelia Schwartz

Assoc. Professor
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Secondary Faculty in Biology

oxs113@miami.edu

(305) 284-2268
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Home Page: https://www.odeliaschwartz.com
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Kathleen Sullivan Sealey

Professor

ksealey@miami.edu

(305) 284-3013
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My research over four decades has been governed by the laws of thermodynamics –specifically the balance and transformations of matter and energy.  My experiences have grown into three current major research areas for the past decade: a) Coastal Restoration Ecology, b) Coastal ecosystem services and c) Small Island development...
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Christopher A Searcy

Associate Professor

cas383@miami.edu

(305) 284-5412
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My lab is engaged in conservation ecology, the use of ecological principles to answer questions related to basic ecological theory, while also informing conservation practices and management of threatened or endangered species. We are particularly interested in utilizing the most up-to-date mathematical models and statistical methods to inform...
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Delia S Shelton

Asst. Professor

dss958@miami.edu

(305) 284-2494
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My research passion lies in using basic research to translate science into practical solutions while cultivating a diverse talent pool. In accordance with these goals, my research balances basic science, translational research, and industry needs while involving people from marginalized groups. My research program focuses on...
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Cynthia Silveira

Asst. Professor

cxs1538@miami.edu

(305) 284-6220
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My lab studies a long-known but poorly appreciated member of all microbiomes: bacteriophages. Phages, for short, are viruses that infect bacteria and are the most abundant and diverse biological entities on the planet. Yet, we have only scratched the surface of their biological significance: 50 to 90 % of phages genomes sequenced to date have no...
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Sheyum Syed

Assoc. Professor
Secondary Faculty in Biology

s.syed@miami.edu

(305) 284-7122
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My research area is biological physics with the aim of understanding complex behavior as it arises in the natural world. The complex behaviors we are interested in include locomotion, sleep, feeding, and collective phenomena that may arise from interaction among multiple individuals. We focus on the model organism Drosophila melanogaster to...
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Nikki Traylor-Knowles

Associate Professor
Secondary Faculty in Biology

ngt14@miami.edu

(410) 905-5107
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Secondary Faculty in the Department of Biology Nikki Traylor-Knowles is an Associate Professor in Marine Biology and Ecology at the Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science. She is a cell biologist that studies the evolution of immunity, wound healing, and regeneration. Her lab uses cell biology, genomics,...
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J. David Van Dyken

Asst. Professor

jdv17@miami.edu

(305) 284-9054
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My lab is interested in understanding how genetics, cell physiology, ecology and evolution interact across spatial scales ranging from molecules to ecosystems to shape patterns of biocomplexity, biodiversity, and organismal design. We take an integrative, systems-based approach combining high-throughput experiments in the model eukaryote,...
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Yunqiu Wang

Senior Lecturer

yunqiu@miami.edu

(305) 284-4181
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My current research has been concentrating on the characterization of genetic structure of small mammal and South Florida slash pine populations in South Florida. A series of modern molecular techniques, such as DNA sequencing, PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction), genotyping, etc. are applied in this project. The purpose of thess studies are to...
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Zheng Wang

Associate Professor
Secondary Faculty in Biology

zhw328@miami.edu

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Zheng Wang's research interest is in bioinformatics. His lab is working on 3D reconstruction of genome structures, family classification of topologically associating domains, prediction of protein functions, prediction of protein structures, and analysis of biological complex networks. He collaborates with cancer...
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Barbara Whitlock

Assoc. Professor

b.whitlock@miami.edu

(305) 284-3512
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The primary goal of my research is to understand the origins of plant diversity. I use phylogenetic analyses of DNA sequence data in combination with information from morphology, anatomy, and ecology to understand the timing and direction of changes in floral and vegetative traits, geographic distribution, and diversification rates. My students...
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Athula H Wikramanayake, Ph.D.

Professor
Chair of Biology

athula@miami.edu

(305) 284-4134
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I am an evolutionary developmental biologist and my laboratory uses embryological, molecular, genomic and phylogenetic approaches to investigate the evolution of pattern formation in metazoan embryos. A major focus of my laboratory is to investigate the molecular basis for the evolution, specification and patterning of the animal-vegetal (AV)...
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Alexandra C C Wilson

Professor

a.wilson1@miami.edu

(305) 284-2003
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My research focuses on characterizing the mechanisms that metabolically and developmentally integrate hosts and symbionts. Symbioses are interactions between species; some symbioses involve one species living inside the cells of the other species - this is endosymbiosis. A compelling challenge in biology concerns identifying and characterizing...
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Stefan Wuchty

Assoc. Professor
Secondary Faculty in Biology
Member CCS, SCC

s.wuchty@miami.edu

(305) 284-4189
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Home Page: https://www.cs.miami.edu/home/wuchtys/Home.html
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Amy E Zanne

Professor

aez135@miami.edu

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A large focus of my work is to examine how biotic interactions impact biogeochemical cycles. Specifically, I explore how plant traits and environmental conditions regulate decay agents (microbes, termites, solar radiation) to impact deadwood and ecosystem scale carbon cycling under current and future climates. I also study global macroevolution...
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