two students standing in a pond collecting a sample

Research

As a learner-centered and discovery-driven institution, Western Michigan University values the research of its faculty. Research in the Department of Biological Sciences is conducted by faculty members of diverse interests, covering all the major fields of biology. Faculty research is funded by a variety of sources including state and national grants, university funds, and contributions from generous donors. 

Research Areas

Microbiology

Kathryn Docherty

John Geiser

Ben Koestler

Silvia Rossbach

Richard VanEnk

Plant/Cell Biology

Todd Barkman

Yan Lu

Erik Larson

Ecology

Devin Bloom

Sharon Gill

David Karowe

Tiffany Schriever

Maarten Vonhof

Developmental

Andrew Thompson

Wendy Beane

Pam Hoppe

Rachel Warga

Tom Rothstein

Momoko Yoshimoto

Virology

Kylee Morrison

Makenna Feltes

Karim Essani

Nichol Holodick

Science Education

David Rudge

Emily Driessen

Neuro/Physiological

John Spitsbergen

Brian Tripp

Cindy Linn

Christine Byrd-Jacobs

David Linn

Grants

Many of our faculty obtain grants at the state, federal, or private level. These grants enhance their research capabilities and produce leading findings in their fields. Many projects involve the help of undergraduate and graduate students depending on their focus areas, and faculty are regularly awarded grants each new fiscal year.

Details

Biological Implications of Gender Roles in Mobile Pastoralist Societies

Principal Investigator: Jacqueline Eng

Funding: National Science Foundation

Incorporating Carbon Use Efficiency into Strategies for Ecosystem Restoration

Principal Investigator: Kathryn Docherty

Funding: National Science Foundation

Marine-derived Fish Gene Sequencing

Principal Investigator: Devin Bloom

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Effects of Riparian Restoration and Dam Removal on Plant & Animal Communities along Kalamazoo River

Principal Investigator: Tiffany Schriever

Funding: U.S. Department of Interior

Bacterial Regulation of Acid Resistance and Amino Acid Metabolism

Principal Investigator: Ben Koestler

Funding: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

Efficacy of UV Light Treatment in Reducing PD Loads on Bats

Principal Investigator: Maarten Vonhof

Funding: Rutgers University

Reactive Organ Species Signaling in Wound Healing vs. Tissue Repair

Principal Investigator: Wendy Beane

Funding: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

Evolutionary Patterns & Processes Driving Multigene Family Functional Diversification

Principal Investigator: Todd Barkman

Funding: National Science Foundation

Recovery of Functional Visual Pathways in the Adult Mammalian Brain

Principal Investigator: Cindy Linn

Funding: U.S. Department of Defense

RCN: Instrumentation for Quantum Biology

Principal Investigator: Wendy Beane

Funding: National Science Foundation

Research Experiences for Teachers in the Biology of Plants, Animals, Microorganisms

Principal Investigator: Yan Lu

Funding: National Science Foundation

Evidence of Neurogeneisis in an Adult Mammalian Retina

Principal Investigator: Cindy Linn

Funding: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

Exploring the Efficacy of Prairie Strips as a Soil Health Promoting Practice

Principal Investigator: Kathryn Docherty

Funding: Michigan State University