Research
Research Opportunities
SF State Bio is a research-active department where undergraduate and graduate students are an intrinsic part of the discovery process that drives science forward. Supported by highly skilled technical and administrative staff, our 40 full-time faculty conduct cutting-edge research that advances the frontiers of knowledge, and provides abundant training opportunities for students. In addition to exploring the programs on this page, students should talk to faculty and staff to find research experiences on and off campus.
Undergraduate students can participate in the research through several departmental programs and other campus partners.
Graduate students conduct research as part of their program. We admit only those applicants who have been invited to join the lab of a graduate faculty member so explore faculty and reach out to connect and discuss opportunities.
We Partner to Provide Students Opportunities
Industry Partnerships
Community Partnerships
Undergraduate Research
There are several programs that help undergraduates get research experience
Stay Connected
We celebrate our successes in our BioCONNECT Newsletter. Learn about departmental news, alumni and more.
Email to receive the newsletterFaculty by Research Discipline
Our faculty have published 2,305 peer-reviewed scientific studies and have accumulated over 135,068 scientific citations!
Click on the headings below to view faculty members whose research labs are on the main campus of SFSU in the Department of Biology. We also have affiliated faculty who can supervise research at the Estuary & Ocean Science Center and at the California Academy of Sciences.
| Research Discipline | Faculty |
|---|---|
| Animal Behavior | C. Sarah Cohen; Robyn Crook; Vance T Vredenburg; Andy Zink (on leave) |
| Biology Education | Leticia Márquez-Magaña; Kimberly Tanner |
| Biotechnology & Stem Cells | Jason Cantley; Mark Chan; Joseph Chen; Lily Chen; Diana Chu; Zheng-Hui He |
| Botany | Jason Cantley; Jenna Ekwealor; Zheng-Hui He; Gretchen LeBuhn; Kevin Simonin |
| Cell & Molecular Biology | Ivan A. Anastassov; Kai Laura Burrus; Mark Chan; Joseph Chen; Lily Chen; Diana Chu; Wilfred Denetclaw; Megumi Fuse; Michael Goldman; Zheng-Hui He; Leticia Márquez-Magaña; Blake Riggs; Scott Roy; Sally Pasion; Ravinder Sehgal; Nicholas Silva; Andrea Swei; José R. de la Torre |
| Climate Change | Robert Boria; Katharyn Boyer; Kai Laura Burrus; Jason Cantley; Jaime A. Chaves; C. Sarah Cohen; Derrick Groom; Zheng-Hui He; Gretchen LeBuhn; Ravinder Sehgal; Kevin Simonin; Jonathon Stillman; José R. de la Torre; Vance T Vredenburg |
| Computational Biology & Bioinformatics | Jason Cantley; Mark Chan; Diana Chu; Jenna Ekwealor; Zheng-Hui He; Gretchen LeBuhn; Ravinder Sehgal; Scott Roy; Jadelys Tonos; José R. de la Torre |
| Conservation Biology/Restoration Ecology | Katharyn Boyer; C. Sarah Cohen; Gretchen LeBuhn; Ravinder Sehgal; Jadelys Tonos; José R. de la Torre |
| Developmental Biology | Ivan A. Anastassov; Kai Laura Burrus; Diana Chu; Karen Crow; Wilfred Denetclaw; Zheng-Hui He; Nicholas Silva |
| Ecology | Robert Boria; Katharyn Boyer; Jason Cantley; Jaime Chaves; C. Sarah Cohen; Jenna Ekwealor; Gretchen LeBuhn; Mitzy Porras; Ravinder Sehgal; Kevin Simonin; Andrea Swei; Jadelys Tonos; José R. de la Torre; Vance T Vredenburg; Andy Zink (on leave) |
| Evolutionary Biology | Robert Boria; Jason Cantley; Jaime Chaves; C. Sarah Cohen; Karen Crow; Jenna Ekwealor; Gretchen LeBuhn; Scott Roy; Ravinder Sehgal; José R. de la Torre; Vance T Vredenburg; Andy Zink (on leave) |
| Health Equity | Kai Laura Burrus; Leticia Márquez-Magaña |
| Marine Biology | Katharyn Boyer; C. Sarah Cohen; Robyn Crook; Karen Crow; José R. de la Torre |
| Microbiology | Mark Chan; Joseph Chen; Lily Chen; Leticia Marquez-Magaña; Ravinder Sehgal; Andrea Swei; José R. de la Torre |
| Neuroscience | Ivan A. Anastassov; Robyn Crook; Wilfred Denetclaw; Megumi Fuse; Nicholas Silva; Kimberly Tanner |
| Physiology | Ivan A. Anastassov; Jennifer Breckler; C. Sarah Cohen; Robyn Crook; Wilfred Denetclaw; Jenna Ekwealor; Megumi Fuse; Derrick Groom; Zheng-Hui He; Mitzy Porras; Nicholas Silva; Kevin Simonin; Jonathon Stillman; Kimberly Tanner; Vance T Vredenburg; Andy Zink (on leave) |
| Zoology | Robert Boria; C. Sarah Cohen; Megumi Fuse; Derrick Groom; Gretchen LeBuhn; Ravinder Sehgal; Andrea Swei; Jadelys Tonos; Vance T Vredenburg; Andy Zink (on leave) |
| Affiliated Faculty | EOS Center faculty; CAS faculty |
Biology Department Seminar
- BIOL 870 Colloquium Instructor: Dr. Jade Tonos
- When: Thursdays 2:00–3:00 PM (student time 3:00–3:30 PM)
- Location: SEIC 116
| Speaker | Institution | Dates | Host lab | Title | Field |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sabine Cudney-Valenzuela | University of California, Berkeley | Feb. 5 | Jade Tonos | "Biodiversity loss and resilience in tropical fragmented landscapes: Lessons from Mexico, Madagascar, and Colombia" | Biodiversity & conservation |
| Andrea James | University of Northern Colorado | Feb. 12 | Kai Burrus | Developmental biology | |
| Sara ElShafie | Milken Institute & Science Through Story | Feb. 19 | Jenna Ekwealor | "Transferable Science Skills: Taking training from Paleontology and other STEM fields beyond Academia" | Science communication & global change biology |
| No seminar | Feb. 26 | ||||
| Patricia Schneider | Louisiana State University | Mar. 5 | Karen Crow | "Split Screens: Exploring Vision through the Eyes of the Four-Eyed Fish" | Evolutionary developmental biology |
| Adrienne Correa | University of California, Berkeley | Mar. 12 | Jade Tonos | "Weaving community-science partnerships to understand and bolster reef health in a changing ocean" | Global change & marine biology |
| Lisa Hua | Sonoma State University | Mar. 19 | Blake Riggs | Cellular & molecular biology | |
| No seminar | Mar. 26 | ||||
| Donald Mykles | Colorado State University | Apr. 2 | Jonathon Stillman | Crustacean developmental physiology | |
| Lisa D. White | UC Berkeley & University of California Museum of Paleontology | Apr. 9 | Blake Riggs | "Integrating paleontology collections, seagoing expeditions, and interactive web-based tools to enhance STEM instruction for undergraduate students" | Micropaleontology & scientific outreach |
| Kelley Langhans | Virginia Tech | Apr. 16 | Jade Tonos | Urban ecology & environmental justice | |
| Isaac Lichter Marck | California Academy of Sciences | Apr. 23 | Jade Tonos | Plant systematics & evolution | |
| Ricardo Kriebel | California Academy of Sciences | Apr. 30 | Jade Tonos | Plant systematics & evolution | |
| Ren Hamm | California Academy of Sciences | May 7 | Jade Tonos | Evolutionary biology | |
| Yaamini R. Venkataraman | Santa Clara University | May 14 | Jonathon Stillman | Eco-physiology & climate change biology |
Partners
Biology students can collaborate with partners within and outside of the department to conduct research in a variety of fields, including field research, natural sciences, climate change, education and more. Students also collaborate with other departments within and outside of CoSE.
Science Education Partnership and Assessment Lab (SEPAL)
The SEPAL resource center houses hands-on, minds-on science education materials that are available for checkout.
Sierra Nevada Field Campus (SNFC)
**ADD SNFC org LINK**
SNFC is in Sierra County at 1,900 meters in elevation. It is an ideal locaton for research studying monatane organisms. In the summer, it offers a rich curriculum of courses.
Climate HQ
Climate HQ is the campus hub for SFSU opportunities and education about climate change and climate justice. Students can find relevant classes, internships and funding opportunities to support their work.
Student Enrichment Opportunities (SEO)
The SEO office helps students find scholarships, fellowships, research opportunities, professional development resources and more.
Promoting Inclusivity in Computing (PINC)
**ADD LINK ONCE AVAILABLE**
PINC offers a minor and certificate program, along with research opportunities, for non-Computer Science students to learn data science and computational skills critical for research and biotech.
Graduate Opportunties to Learn Data Science (GOLD)
Incoming graduate students can learn applicable skills for pursing a career in biotechnology or graduate school. Learn data science and earn nine-unit graduate certificate in Data Science for Biology and Chemistry.