Welcome to the Department of Biological Sciences!

The teaching and research mission of the Department of Biological Sciences is to develop a deeper understanding of contemporary biology at multiple levels, from molecules and cells, to organisms and entire ecosystems.

News and Events

Internships and Summer Research Program Resources

Applications for Marquette's Undergraduate Summer Research Program are now open! Applications are due February 1st, 2024.

Interested in learning more about Internships and Summer Research programs happening across the country? Check here for our new Summer research program resource page. 

GAANN Fellowship Funding

The GAANN program (Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need) provides fellowships (stipend and tuition) to doctoral students of superior academic ability in financial need, particularly from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds in the field of biological sciences. To learn more about the GAANN program and qualifications for the fellowship, click here. 

Research Opportunities for Undergraduates

Are you an undergraduate interested in getting involved with research? Check here to find out which professors currently have openings for undergraduates.

Recent extramural awards

Dr. Michael Schlappi, professor, has received $650,000 from the USDA to study mechanisms of cold stress tolerance responses in rice.

Dr. Tony Gamble, associate professor,  has received almost $1.1 million in R01 grant funding from the National Institutes of Health’s National Human Genome Institute to expand genome editing tools and processes in lizards which could facilitate comparisons of gene function among other species, including humans.

Dr. Martin St. Maurice, associate professor, has received a $382,506 grant from the National Science Foundation for studies aimed to unveil the first complete description of the metabolic pathways nature applies to the degradation of guanidinium compounds by wastewater and human gut microbes.

Dr. Chelsea Cook, assistant professor, has received a $754,826 grant from the National Science Foundationn to study the behavioral and physiological response of animals to manage daily and seasonal environmental fluctuations such as temperature changes.

Dr. Allison Abbott, associate professor, has received an NIH R15 to support her research on "Functional Analysis of microRNAs in C. elegans spermatogenesis"

Faculty Kudos

Dr. Rosemary Stuart was awarded the inaugural "Inspire" award from the Institute for Women's Leadership.

Dr. Rosemary Stuart has been elected by her colleagues as the Wehr Distinguished Professor for 2022-2024

Dr. Martin St. Maurice and Dr. Krassimira Hristova have been promoted to full Professor beginning fall of 2023.

Dr. Nate Lemoine has been awarded a Way Klingler Young Scholar Award for the 2022/23 academic year.

Dr. Stephen M. Downs (Emeritus), Dr. Robert H. Fitts (Emeritus), Dr. Tony Gamble, Dr. Stefan A. Schnitzer, and Dr. Rosemary Stuart have been ranked in the top 2% of scientific researchers in the world a team at Stanford University.

Graduate Student Achievements

2023-24
Arthur J. Schmitt Leadership Fellowship: Madison Sutton.

Rev. John P. Raynor, S.J. Fellowship:  Nicholas Schneider

2023 Scholl Graduate Student Award: Adam Knier for his paper entitled "The yeast molecular chaperone, Hsp104, influences Transthyretin (TTR) aggregate formation in Frontiers of Molecular Neuroscience (2022). doi: 10.3389/fnmol.2022.1050472

2023 Oliver H. Smith Academic Achievement Award: Sarah Rolli

Winners of the 3 Minute Thesis Competition and the Graduate Student Poster Competition:
3MT Winner: Sarah Rolli
3MT Runner-Up and People's choice award: Hannah Buchholz
Poster competition, Doctoral: 1st: Cole Doolittle

competition award