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Faculty & Staff

Biology Faculty

Shannon Ballard

Visiting Assistant Professor

Biology

Contact

  1. Phone: (610) 690-1248
  2. Martin 311
Shannon Ballard

Alex Baugh

Associate Professor

Animal Behavior

Contact

  1. Phone: (610) 690-5243
  2. Martin 205A
  1. Website

Research: Communication, sexual behavior and individual differences

Dawn Carone

Assistant Professor, Genetics

Contact

  1. Phone: (610) 690-6859
  2. Martin 304
Dawn Carone

Karen Chan

Assistant Professor - Marine Biology

Biology

Contact

  1. Phone: (610) 328-8051
  2. Martin 125
  1. Profile
  2. website

Eva-Maria Collins

Systems Biology

Biology

Contact

  1. Phone: (610) 690-5380
  2. Martin 202

Brad Davidson

Associate Professor

Developmental Biology

Contact

  1. Phone: (610) 690-5718
  2. Martin 302
  1. Profile

Vince Formica

Associate Professor

Evolution

Contact

  1. Phone: (610) 328-8621
  2. Martin 105
  1. Profile
  2. Website

Sara Hiebert Burch

Edward Hicks Magill Professor of Mathematics and Natural Science

Animal Physiology

Contact

  1. Phone: (610) 328-8053
  2. Martin 126/127
  1. Profile

Research: Environment, dietary fat choice, and cellular consequences

Nick Kaplinsky

Associate Professor & Department Chair

Plant Molecular Genetics

Contact

  1. Phone: (610) 328-8039
  2. Martin 106
  1. Website

Research: Molecular genetics of plant abiotic stress response

Matthew Leslie

Visiting Assistant Professor

Biology

Contact

  1. Phone: (610) 328-8037
  2. Martin 207
  1. Website
Matt Leslie

José-Luis Machado

Associate Professor

Ecology

Contact

  1. Phone: (610) 328-8562
  2. Martin 112
  1. Profile

Research: Invasive species and plant physiological ecology of temperate and tropical ecosystems

Alexander Novarro

Visiting Asst. Professor & CFD Fellow

Biology

Contact

  1. Phone: (610) 957-6317
  2. Martin 104a
  1. website
Alexander Novarro

Kathy Siwicki

Howard A. Schneiderman Professor of Biology

Neurobiology

Contact

  1. Phone: (610) 328-8215
  2. Martin 217
  1. Profile

Research: Courtship behavior and memory in fruit flies.

Elizabeth Vallen

Professor (on leave 2019)

Cell Biology

Contact

  1. Phone: (610) 328-8048
  2. Martin 312
  1. Profile
  2. CV [pdf]

Research: Symbiosis in corals/anemones

Amy Vollmer

Isaac H. Clothier Jr. Professor of Biology

Microbiology

Contact

  1. Phone: (610) 328-8044
  2. Martin 310A
  1. Profile
  2. CV [pdf]

Research: Bacterial stress response

Biology Teaching Staff

Erin Clemens

Lab Instructor - Biology

Biology

Contact

  1. Phone: (610) 957-6098
  2. Martin 206

Genevieve Haas

Lab Instructor - Biology

Biology

Contact

  1. Phone: (610) 690-5542
  2. Martin 206

Stacey Miller

Laboratory Instructor

Biology

Contact

  1. Phone: (610) 957-6067
  2. Martin 325

Jocelyne Noveral

Bio 1 Coordinator & Laboratory Instructor

Contact

  1. Phone: (610) 690-5760
  2. Cornell 206

Nicole Stowell

Laboratory Instructor

Biology

Contact

  1. Phone: (610) 957-6219
  1. Profile

Biology Administrative Staff

Kendra Ashenfelder

Animal Facility Manager

Biology

Contact

  1. Phone: (610) 328-7335
  2. Martin 325
Kendra Ashenfelder

Rhonda Hilt

Greenhouse Manager

Biology

Contact

  1. Phone: (610) 690-5761
  2. Martin GH
Rhonda Hilt

Diane Fritz

Administrative Coordinator

Contact

  1. Phone: (610) 328-8047
  2. Martin 201

Gwendolyn Kannapel

Laboratory Manager

Contact

  1. Phone: (610) 328-8179
  2. Martin 322

John Kelly

Senior Technical Specialist

Contact

  1. Phone: (610) 328-8055
  2. Martin 5

Matt Powell

Business & Technology Manager

Contact

  1. Phone: (610) 328-8046
  2. Martin 101A
  1. Profile

Biology Emeriti Faculty

John Jenkins

Isaac Clother Emeritus Professor of Biology

Genetics

Contact

  1. Phone: (610) 328-8052

Research: How predation affects evolutionary changes

Scott Gilbert

Senior Research Associate, Howard A. Schneiderman Professor Emeritus

Developmental Biology

Finland Distinguished Professor, University of Helsinki

Contact

  1. Phone: (610) 328-8049
  1. Profile

Research: How the turtle forms its shell

Rachel Merz

Walter Kemp Professor in the Natural Sciences, Emeritus Professor

Contact

  1. Profile

Research: The biomechanics of invertebrates

Amy Vollmer Named Fellow of American Academy of Microbiology

Amy is director of our Summer Scholars Program, and will be inducted at an event later this spring.

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Listen: Alex Baugh on Why There Is So Much Variation in How Animals Respond to Challenges

Alex says he aims to free the audience from "tyranny of the golden mean" and take a deep dive into the interesting biology hidden inside the error bars.

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Kathy Siwicki's Research Cited by Nobel Prize Committee

As a postdoctoral fellow, Siwicki studied the circadian rhythms of fruit flies. Though she didn’t know it, she was also laying the foundation for understanding the mammalian circadian clock.

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Dawn Carone Awarded $150k Grant to Research Uncontrolled Growth in Cancer Cells

Students worked directly with Dawn in her lab last summer and will throughout this year.

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Listen to Swarthmore Biologist Liz Nichols on NPR's All Things Considered

Learn more

Interdisciplinary Special Majors

Swarthmore students may pursue interdisciplinary curricula developed by the faculty, or they may take the initiative to define their own distinct academic program with the support of faculty mentors.

Chemistry lab

Resources