Biology

Professor
Phone: (801) 422-3132
Room: 4127 LSB
byron_adams@byu.edu

Emphasis: Evolutionary Ecology; Ecosystem Responses to Climate-Driven Environmental Change; Co-Evolution, Soil Ecology, Ecological & Evolutionary Genomics; Extremophiles; Astrobiology
https://adamslab.byu.edu

Pre-requisites: Motivated by a love of science and discovery; creative and passionate. Preference given to Biology majors

Assistant Professor
Phone: (801) 422-0871
Room: 4146 LSB
liz_bailey@byu.edu

Emphasis: Women's and Indigenous students' experiences in biology education, Reciprocal Peer Tutoring, Course Structures/Assessments that Promote Growth Mindset, and Integration of Math and Biology

Pre-requisites: No specific prerequisites.

Assistant Professor
Phone: (801)-422-6873
Room: 2120 LSB
matthew.bailey@byu.edu

Emphasis: Precision Oncology, High-Throughput Genomics, Human Genetics, Big-Data Analysis.

Pre-requisites: Willingness to discover and learn. All students start for research credit

Professor
Phone: (801) 422-4154
Room: 4023 LSB
mark_belk@byu.edu

Emphasis: Life History Evolution, Conservation of Fishes, Evolutionary Ecology.

Pre-requisites: Preference given to biology department majors.

Associate Professor
Phone: (801) 422-3152
Room: 4057 LSB
seth.bybee@byu.edu

Emphasis: Entomology, Evolutionary Biology, Systematics, and Bioinformatics.
https://bybeelab.byu.edu/Home.aspx

Pre-requisites: Preference given to biology department majors.

Professor
Phone: (801) 422-3815
Room: 3101E MLBM
shawn_clark@byu.edu

Emphasis: Research involves the identification and classification of insects. Most of the students in the lab assist with curation (mounting, sorting, and databasing insect specimens). Some students assist with the description and naming of new species.

Pre-requisites: Preference is given to majors in the College of Life Sciences.

Dean, Undergraduate Education
Phone: (801) 422-3856
Room: 350 MSRB
rgill@byu.edu

Emphasis: The Gill lab does research on how ecosystems respond to global change. We use field and modeling approaches to understand how ecological and evolutionary processes respond to disturbance. Currently, our work is being conducted in alpine and desert ecosystems in Utah and in tropical reef systems in the South Pacific.
https://gilllab.byu.edu

Pre-requisites: Passion and interest. Preference is given to students with majors in the Biology Department who are early in their academic careers.

Associate Professor
Phone: (801) 422-5930
Room: 2121 LSB
blaine_griffen@byu.edu

Emphasis: Marine Biology, Behavioral Ecology, Physiological Ecology, Energetics of Animals Under Stress, Human Impacts in Coastal Environments, Conservation Biology.
https://biology.byu.edu/griffen-lab

Pre-requisites: Preference given to sophomore and junior biology department majors.

Professor
Phone: (801) 422-6896
Room: 4059 LSB
jamie.jensen@byu.edu

Emphasis: Biology Education Research; Evolution Acceptance.
1) Reconciliation of evolution with religion amongst religious audiences,
2) STEM faculty development,
3) Classroom research on curricular implementations and assessment strategies.
https://recoevo.byu.edu

Pre-requisites: Introductory Biology (BIO 130, PDBIO 120 or BIO 100). Preference given to biology department majors.

Professor
Phone: (801) 422-4502
Room: 4033 LSB
jerry.johnson@byu.edu

Emphasis: Evolutionary Ecology, Speciation, Life History Evolution, Phylogeography, Behavioral Ecology
https://johnsonlab.byu.edu/

Pre-requisites: DNA-based: CHEM 105, BIO 130, PWS 340. Speciation/Life History/Behavior: BIO 130, BIO 220. Preference given to sophomore and junior biology department majors.

Professor
Phone: (801) 422-5241
Room: 4058 LSB
leigh_johnson@byu.edu

Emphasis: Plant Systematics & Taxonomy; Species Delimitation; Conservation Genetics; Herbarium Research & Specimen Curation.
https://lajohnson.net/index.html

Opportunities: Molecular lab work including PCR, comparative DNA sequencing, and computational analyses of large, next-generation DNA data sets; Comparative morphology and micromorphology with microscopic imaging; Herbarium curation, databasing, and research specimen preservation/management.


Pre-requisites: Strong interest in plant biology. Preference given to biology department majors.

Associate Professor
Phone: (801) 422-7094
Room: 3115A MLBM
robert_johnson@byu.edu

Emphasis: Plant systematics, Floristics, Plant-insect interactions

Pre-requisites: Interest in botany. Preference given to biology department majors.

Openings: Opportunities for paid and/or volunteer herbarium curation are regularly available. Inquiries welcome.

Assistant Professor
Phone: (801) 422-4879
Room: 4143 LSB
steve_leavitt@byu.edu

Emphasis: Symbiosis, Evolution, Systematics, Lichens, Holobionts, Bio-monitoring, Diversity in arid or extreme habitats.

Pre-requisites: Interest in evolution, plant biology/mycology. Preference given to biology department majors.

Professor
Phone: (801) 422-1345
Room: 2119 LSB
rileynelson@byu.edu

Emphasis: Insect Biodiversity, Freshwater Ecology, Biomonitoring, Systematics, Popularization of Science, Science Education, and Environmental Stewardship

Pre-requisites: Introductory Biology (BIO 130, PDBIO 120 or BIO 100 class), BIO 220; BIO 441 or 541 while in the lab. Preference given to biology department majors.

Associate Professor
Phone: (801) 422-6652
Room: 4029 LSB
sam_payne@byu.edu

Emphasis: Cancer, Bioinformatics, Proteomics.

Current Research: My lab does bioinformatics research, which means we use computational methods like machine learning and statistics to understand biological questions. We are interested in the proteomic consequences of DNA mutations in cancer. A second project attempts to understand the differences between individual cells. Finally, we are interested in creating material that highlights the importance of data in understanding biology. Projects in my lab are listed on my webpage (https://biology.byu.edu/sam-payne-lab/current-projects).

Pre-requisites: BIO165, MMBIO 240 and CS 235.

Openings: II am taking on students, come chat! Desired qualifications are listed on my webpage (https://biology.byu.edu/sam-payne-lab/recruiting-students-and-post-docs).

Associate Professor
Phone: (801) 422-4145
Room: 4145 LSB
Steven_Peck@byu.edu

Emphasis: Theoretical Ecology; Philosophy of Science; the Ecology of Birdsong.

Pre-requisites: Preference given to biology department majors.

Associate Professor
Phone: (801) 422-7116
Room: 4056 LSB
stephen_piccolo@byu.edu

Emphasis: Bioinformatics; Human Disease; Bioinformatics Education


Current Research: My research lab has several areas of emphasis: 1) using machine learning to predict patient outcomes based on molecular data, 2) developing software tools to enable biologists to more effectively and efficiently analyze data, 3) improving bioinformatics education, and 4) improving scientific practices

Pre-requisites: Please visit this page to learn more about joining my research group. I prefer that students have taken BIO 165, BIO 264 (or equivalent), and BIO 130 (or equivalent), but I am open to considering students who are still taking these courses. I do my best to facilitate a supportive environment that is welcoming to individuals from all backgrounds.

Professor
Phone: (801) 422-9159
Room: 4025 LSB
russell_rader@byu.edu

Emphasis: Aquatic Ecology, Invasion Biology, Restoration, and Conservation

Current Research: I am interested in community ecology, that is the forces that determine the diversity and stability of ecosystems. Consequently, I am studying the effects of wildfires and high flows on the species diversity of macroinvertebrates in stream ecosystems. I am also investigating the factors (e.g. climate change) that determine the species diversity of desert rock pools around Moab, Utah, and Arches National Park. This is the most comprehensive study of its kind including meiofauna (minute organisms living in the sand), zooplankton, and macroinvertebrates (e.g. fairy shrimp). Undergraduate students are involved with every aspect of this research collecting field data and processing samples in the lab. There are many opportunities for undergraduates to publish meaningful research that will increase our understanding of nature and contribute to your curriculum vitae.

Pre-requisites: BIO 350 (Ecology) is recommended. Preference given to biology department majors.

Assistant Professor
Phone: 801-422-7564
Room: 4126 LSB
Perry.Ridge@byu.edu

Emphasis: Bioinformatics Methods, Genome Biology, Human Genetics.

Current Research: Alzheimer’s disease; Mitochondrial genetics; Genome biology; Bioinformatics.

Pre-requisites: Bio 165, CS 142, or programming experience; Bio 130 or equivalent; Preference given to Bioinformatics and Neuroscience majors.

Openings: Reach out, there is space in the lab.

Associate Professor
Phone: (801) 422-9293
Room: 4027 LSB
whipple@byu.edu

Emphasis: Evolution and genetics of plant development

Pre-requisites: Preference given to sophomores, juniors, and biology department majors.

Professor
Phone: (801) 422-5651
Room: 4142 LSB
Michael_Whiting@byu.edu

Emphasis: Entomology, Evolution, Systematic, and Phylogenetics.

Pre-requisites: Interest in entomology. Opportunities for paid and/or volunteer insect collection curation are regularly available. Preference given to sophomores, juniors, and biology department majors.