One of the strongest differentiating aspects of the University of Dayton Department of Biology is the integration of undergraduate and graduate education, especially in the area of research. Biomedical research encompasses developmental, cellular and molecular biology, immunology and microbiology, and most recently, bionanotechnology. Environmental research focuses on ecosystem restoration and applied ecology. The two major research areas intersect in the study of genetics, molecular evolution and bioinformatics. For detailed information on faculty research, click here.

Biomedical Research

• Dr. Robert Kearns studies the influence of diet and micro and macronutrients on the immune systems of felines and canines. Dr. Kearn's research is supported by Iams and has implicated specific dietary supplements in the specific immune response of these animals.
• Dr. Jayne Robinson studies how bacterial behavior is influenced by environmental signals and conditions. This research can shed light on how bacteria can colonize animal hosts and has applications in infections. The NIH and USDA support Dr. Robinson's work.
• Dr. John Rowe's laboratory work centers on microbial biochemistry and molecular biology. His laboratory is studying anaerobic and aerobic microbial nitrate reduction, which has agricultural and environmental applications and is found in bacterial lung infections.  Dr. Rowe has been funded by private industry, NSF and NIH.

Developmental, Cellular and Molecular Biology Research

• Dr. Yiling Hong studies the genetic and biochemical regulatory mechanisms of stem cells maintaining their genomic stability and their connections to tumor stem cells development.
• Dr. Carissa Krane, a physiologist, studies lung physiology and the role of aquaporins in normal and diseased lung tissue, with an emphasis on asthma etiology. The NIH currently funds her work.
• Dr. Amit Singh uses the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster to research the molecular, genetic, and environmental basis of normal eye development, and to elucidate the genes and molecules that when altered result in the genesis of birth defects in the eye.
• Dr. Shirley Wright's research is related to the cytoskeletal aspects of cell motility and fertilization and is currently funded by the American Kennel Club.

Tissue Regeneration and Development

Dr. Panagiotis Tsonis' research is aimed toward delineating the mechanisms of regeneration of the eye and limbs with applications in diseases such as cataracts. Dr. Tsonis is currently the Director of the Center for Tissue Regeneration and Engineering at Dayton (TREND) and is funded by the NIH.

Nanobiology and the Nanoscale Engineering and Science Technology Laboratory

Developmental, Cellular and Molecular Biology and the Tissue Regeneration and Development groups have a keen interest in nanobiology, especially as it relates to the use of nanodevices in the study of tissue differentiation and also the cellular and molecular interaction of nanoparticles with living systems. These groups have initiated considerable interactions with the newly established University of Dayton Nanoscale Engineering & Science Technology (NEST) Laboratory. Additionally, both groups are involved in interdisciplinary research with engineers in the growing area of tissue engineering and bionanotoxicology.
 
Genetics/Evolution/Bioinformatics

• Dr. Sudhindra Gadagkar examines molecular evolution via phylogenetics and comparative genomics and his work is also connected to our Environmental Research group.
• Dr. Mark Nielsen studies evolution at the molecular level using as a model proteins that have not evolved in millions of years. He asks fundamentally important questions such as why some functional genes continuously change and others do not. Dr. Nielsen is currently funded by NSF.

Environmental/Ecology Research

• Dr. Albert Burky's laboratory concentrates on the physiological adaptations of natural populations of invertebrates and fish and the anthropogenic perturbations of fresh water ecosystems in several countries of the Americas. He has established research sites in Hawaii and the Republic of Palau and is exploring a third site in Costa Rica. Dr. Burky has been well supported by the Corp of Engineers, the state of Hawaii and Earth Watch.
• Dr. Carl Friese's interests cover many aspects of ecosystem and microbial ecology with an emphasis on how fungi affect plant establishment and growth, and on the potential consequences of the interactions between different organisms. He is particularly interested in studying these interactions in disturbed environments and is heavily involved in ecological restoration projects.
• Dr. Donald Geiger is a plant physiologist who has a long-standing interest in the regulation of carbon metabolism. Recently, his work has involved the study of water resources in the Dayton, Ohio area. The Superfund project, NSF, Monsanto, and the Five Rivers Metro Parks of Dayton have supported his work. He also has projects with the Beaver Creek Wetlands Society. Dr. Geiger is currently studying the effects of wetlands on water quality and developing specific long distance water monitoring systems from the Greater Miami River to the Ohio River.
• Dr. Kelly Williams' interests focus on population ecology.