Organismal Biology Departmental Faculty

FAU’s Department of Biological Sciences houses research labs working on a wide spectrum of organisms, from fruit flies and worms to turtles and sharks. Areas of interest include developmental biology, conservation biology, marine biology, physiology, animal behavior and morphology/evolution. Undergraduate and graduate students are studying how organisms communicate, pick their mates, move and migrate. Students are learning how animals and plants interact and evolve. Studies are being conducted on the molecular mechanisms behind why organisms sleep and age and the genetics behind how animals think and behave.

FAU’s Department of Biological Sciences faculty members view integration of disciplines as a defining characteristic to understanding scientific principles. The department offers a Ph.D. Program in Integrative Biology, Masters degrees and Bachelors degrees.


NameArea of Emphasis
Anderson, RindyBehavioral ecology, communication, cognition, sexual selection
Baldwin, John D.Population genetics and reproductive biology
Brooks, RandyMarine behavioral ecology, symbiology, coral reefs
Cavallo, MichelleSTEM Education, Citizen Science, Undergraduate Research Experiences, Informatics
Godenschwege, TanjaMolecular and cellular neuroscience, neurodevelopment, cellular basis of neurological disorders and drug discovery
Jia, KailiangMolecular regulation of aging
Kajiura, StephenFunctional morphology and sensory biology of marine fish
McCoy, MichaelMy research combines observational, experimental, and mathematical approaches to better understand the ecological and evolutionary processes that regulate populations, communities and ecosystems.
Milton, Sarah L.Vertebrate anoxia tolerance, marine turtle physiology
Murphey, RodDevelopment and degeneration of synapses
Porter, Marianne E.Biomechanics and functional morphology and physiology
Salmon, MichaelAnimal behavior
Wyneken, JeanetteIntegrative biology, comparative and functional morphology
Zhang, Xing-HaiPlant physiology, molecular biology and biotechnology

Associated Faculty