Our research interests span ecology and evolution, molecular biology and microbiology, and organismal physiology.
Ecology
The research of Drs. Ballhorn, Cruzan, Duffield, Eppley, Estes, Murphy, Ruedas, Reysenbach, Rosenstiel, Stedman, and Thompson directly or indirectly has roots in ecology, and the faculty use combinations of classical and molecular tools to address questions in ecology. These faculty study the ecology of microbes and viruses that inhabit extreme environments such as marine and terrestrial hot springs and deep cold marine sediments; the population genetics of dolphins and whales; plant ecological genetics and phylogeography; invasive species biology; island biology; behavioral ecology of vertebrates; urban ecology and effects of fragmentation on vertebrate communities; extrapair mating systems of birds; and the coevolution of viruses and their hosts. Their research will interest students who wish to explore the contributions of microorganisms to natural ecosystems, naturally occurring factors that influence the structure of natural communities, and conservation ecology and phylogeography.
Evolution and Systematics
Drs. Bartlett, Cruzan, Duffield, Eppley, Estes, Lindgren, Masta, Reysenbach, Ruedas, and Stedman conduct research programs that focus on how genes and organisms change over time. Their work examines how populations change and ultimately how such genetic and phenotypic evolution affects species diversity, in organisms ranging from bacteria to plants and animals. In addition, they examine coevolutionary adaptations of viruses, and mechanisms of coevolution. These faculty integrate field sampling, field observations, and experimentation, with sequencing and other molecular techniques in order to address questions concerning historical and contemporary changes in organisms and populations. Their work encompasses aspects of conservation genetics, biogeography, phylogeography, speciation, hybridization, phylogenetics, molecular evolution, and systematics. Students who wish to understand the processes by which our world's biological diversity has evolved will benefit from this group's research and teaching in evolution and systematics.
Molecular and Cell Biology
Drs. Bartlett, Buckley, Courcelle, Cruzan, Estes, Masta, Napier, Podrabsky, Raghavan, Reysenbach, Singer, and Stedman are investigating molecular and cellular mechanisms that influence immune system response, cell and genome maintenance, comparing genomes and transcriptomes of different organisms, and using genomic and proteomic approaches to understand how organisms interact with their environments. One group focuses on organisms, viruses, and communities inhabiting extreme environments. This group is part of the multi-disciplinary Center for Life in Extreme Environments at Portland State University. This faculty group will be of particular interest to students who are interested in the use of molecular, genetic, genomic, and proteomic approaches for understanding the genetic and molecular basis of how organisms adapt to their environment.
Organismal Physiology and Behavior
Drs. Brown, Buckley, Podrabsky, Reysenbach, and Rosenstiel comprise this research group and share a common focus on utilizing comparative models to understand physiological mechanisms of environmental adaptation from microbes to vertebrates. This group has extensive research capacity in temperature regulation and acclimation, neurobiology and sensory physiology, osmoregulation and dehydration tolerance, energetics and ecophysiology and behavior in both a laboratory and field context. Students interested in understanding how organisms adjust their physiology to exploit various environments as well as pre-professional students (physicians, nurses, dentists, medical-technicians, etc.) will find the research and courses offered by this group of particular interest.
Science Education and Society
Our faculty are all involved in some aspects of science education and outreach. In particular, the biology education research (BER) lab, led by Dr. Shortlidge is interested in studying a variety of factors related to biology education including:
- Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) - Here you can find out a bit more about CUREs in a blog post Erin wrote as a postdoctoral researcher at ASU.
- Equity in outcomes for student learning - Are there differential outcomes for different students or student groups based on type of pedagogy and/or environment (e.g. an active learning classroom)?
- STEM graduate student teaching training
- Science communication and mis-communication
- Interdisciplinary Science
- Understanding factors that impact transfer student success
Life in Extreme Environments
The Center for Life in Extreme Environments, or CLEE, seeks to foster transformative, interdisciplinary research to advance our understanding of the boundaries of life and to identify mechanisms for survival in future planetary extremes.
Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 prohibits discrimination on the basis of one's sex or gender, which includes sexual harassment. Portland State University's Title IX Coordinator is Julie Caron, 503.725.4410, titleixcoordinator@pdx.edu. PSU's Title IX Deputy Coordinator is Yesenia Gutierrez: 503.725.4413, yesenia.gutierrez.gdi@pdx.edu. The Title IX Coordinator can assist you with addressing any concerns or in filing an internal complaint through the Office of Equity and Compliance
If you have questions about filing a complaint with the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights (OCR) you may contact the Western Region’s office at 206-607-1600 or ocr.seattle@ed.gov.
Information regarding NASA-funded nondiscriminatory policies, and how to make a complaint with NASA, can be found in the NASA MissionSTEM brochure (pdf).