Dr. Mark Abrahams
Dean of Science
C-2001/SN-4093
Ph: 864-8154
My work focuses on the ecology of fear by studying predator-prey interactions in aquatic ecosystems.

Dr. Dawn Bignell
Office: SN-1011
Phone: 864-4573
Home Page
My research focuses on Streptomyces bacteria, with particular emphasis on species that produce medically-important natural products, as well as those that cause economically-important crop diseases world-wide.

Dr. Natalia Bykova
Office: SN-1005
Phone:864-7946
Home Page
Research is centered on functional modification-specific proteomics; posttranslational coordination of signal transduction pathways induced in plants during biotic, abiotic stress response and seed development; plant mitochondria; proteomics-specific experimental bioinformatics.

Research in my lab focuses on patterns and processes of molecular evolution in species and natural populations of vertebrate animals.

I am an evolutionary ecologist with a taxonomic focus on the insects. In my lab we are currently investigating the evolution of social behaviour and chemical communication in a group of closely related species of Australian gall-inducing thrips.

Research focuses on the nutritional symbiosis between bivalves and chemoautotrophic bacteria and on the impacts of bioturbation and bioirrigation on marine sediments.

Research interests are broadly based in evolutionary and fisheries ecology, e.g., evolution of body size in fishes, the evolution of life history characteristics in fishes and amniote vertebrates.

Dr. Evan Edinger
Office: SN1044
Phone: 864-3233
Home Page

Research interests are coral reefs, paleoecology, environmental impacts of mining, and marine conservation.

Research in the interactions of marine organisms, and in particular marine zooplankton, with their physical and chemical environment.

Conservation Biology of endangered species, Plant Ecology (arctic-alpine & boreal systems); Protected Areas Strategies, Invasive species biology and impact; Climate change effects on boreal & arctic ecosystems.

Research in marine benthic community ecology. Recent research includes study of marine environmental impact effects on benthic plants and animals, sea urchin ecology and aquaculture, snow crab biology, and seaweed ecology

Dr. Amy Hurford
Office: SN1093
Phone: 864-8301
Home Page

My research uses mathematical models to generate a synthetic description of the factors influencing the ecology, evolution and epidemiology of different organisms.

Research interests in plant metabolic organization and bioenergetics: interactions between photosynthesis and respiration from the subcellular to biospheric level, hypoxic stress, mitochondria. Development of conceptual principles of theoretical biology.

The research in my laboratory focuses on sexual and asexual reproduction, primarily using the planktonic crustacean, Daphnia pulex as a model organism.

My research program is concerned with the ecology and evolutionary biology of seabirds, with an emphasis on demography, conservation issues, mate choice and sexual selection.

Research in my lab is focused on studying the exchange of genetic material between cells, mediated by viruses and virus-like elements. Work is largely focused on a model system for virus-mediated gene exchange: the Gene Transfer Agent (GTA) produced by the bacterium Rhodobacter capsulatus.

I am a community/ecosystem ecologist with a strong interest in conservation ecology. My research attempts to characterize the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.

Dr. Dawn Marshall
Office: SN2102
Phone: 864-7677
Home Page
My research is in the area of ecological/evolutionary functional genomics of organisms found in Newfoundland and Labrador. Goals include 1) gene discovery and mutational analysis of specific traits 2) elucidation of factors contributing to genetic variation in natural populations 3) relationships among organisms relying on neutral genetic variation.

Researching DNA methylation and gene expression in vertebrates

Research in my lab focuses on exploring: 1) Ecology and evolution of entomophily in Splachnaceae mosses, 2) how landscape fragmentation and structure influences the population biology and the interactions between species in agricultural ecosytems, 3) post-dispersal seed predation, and 4) sustainable agriculture.

Research on biology of seals, shorebirds, and woodpeckers, bioacoustics,quantitative ethology, speciation, morphometrics,
and sexual selection

Research interests are in the cell biology of fungi, with an emphasis on the role of the cytoskeleton in insect- pathogenic fungi; also in the use of fungi as biological control agents against forest insect pests.

My research is in the area of Bioinformatics and focuses on applying machine learning and statistical methods to solve molecular biological problems.

Dr. Craig Purchase
Office: SN4103
Phone: 864-4452
Home Page

Research focuses on the evolutionary ecology of fishes; including local adaptation, phenotypic plasticity, sexual dimorphism, gamete quality, and habitat selection.

Research interests include marine community ecology, larval ecology of invertebrates and fish, ecology of benthic invertebrates; deep-sea ecology, coral reef ecology, biodiversity, disturbance and anthropogenic impacts

To understand the phenomenon of cell survival and the signaling mechanisms that prevent cell death and to develop models of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease

Research in our laboratory focuses on an important group of microorganisms called the Actinobacteria that include industrially important members such as the Streptomyces, and the Mycobacteria, the causative agents of tuberculosis and leprosy.

Research focuses on the neuroendocrine mechanisms regulating food intake and reproductive behavior in fish. Techniques used range from physiological methods using whole live animals to molecular techniques.

Research in the fields of Landcape Ecology and Conservation Biology. Currently, my main areas of research interest are in applications within two areas; Parks and Protected Areas, and Wildlife Conservation and Management.