NCSU CALS Biology - Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology in the NCSU Department of Biology
Biology Home > Research > Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology

Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology in the NCSU Dept of Biology

Molecular, cellular, and developmental biology (MCDB) encompasses a wide range of questions regarding the molecular and cellular basis of life and the processes through which organisms arise from single cells.  MCDB faculty research programs in the Department of Biology utilize many different model systems, including the pituitary gland in fish and mammals, fish and mammalian reproductive systems, the bird gastrointestinal system, and the nervous system in both fish and mammals.  These research programs involve both laboratory studies (housed in David Clark Labs and South Gardner on the NCSU main campus) and field research (in Florida, Belize, and Asia), and utilize modern tools in genetics, molecular biology, and cellular biology.

Dr. Robert Anholt (home page)
Research interests are in the area of neurogenetics and focus on the genetic architecture of behavior, understanding the relationship between genetic networks and neural circuits that mediate behaviors, and comparative genomic models of human diseases, using Drosophila melanogaster as a genetic model.
Dr. Robert Grossfeld (home page)
Research interests include neuron-glia intercellular chemical signaling in the nervous system and its role in the function, development, and regeneration of the nervous system.  Application of calcium imaging to study cellular communication in real time.  Electrical, mechanical, and chemical stimuli that affect differentiation of adult neural and mesenchymal stem cells.
Dr. Betty Black (e-mail)
Research interests include gastrointestinal biology, especially intestinal differentiation and adaptation to diet during embryonic and postnatal development of birds.
Dr. Heather Patisaul (home page)
Research interests include the steroid-dependent mechanisms through which sexually dimorphic behaviors arise and the disruption of sexually dimorphic systems and behaviors by environmental estrogens.
Dr. Russell Borski (home page)
Research interests include the mechanisms governing hormone synthesis and secretion with an emphasis on the roles of calcium, cAMP, and G-proteins in modulating pituitary (growth hormone and prolactin) cell activity.  Endocrinology of growth and osmoregulation in fish and mammals.
Dr. Damian Shea (home page)
Research interests include the fate and effects of toxicants in the aquatic environment through applying the tools of analytical toxicology, environmental chemistry, and environmental toxicology.
Dr. John Godwin (home page)
Research interests include molecular endocrinology, neurobiology and behavior with a primary focus on the mechanisms and evolution of animal behavior and sexuality. Application of neurobiological and genomic approaches to problems in behavioral biology and behavioral evolution.
Dr. Craig Sullivan (home page)
Research interests include fish reproductive genetics, physiology and endocrinology with an emphasis on regulation of gametogenesis and application of research findings to aquaculture, selective breeding, fisheries management, biomedicine, and toxicology.