Penn State Department of Biology

Featuring poster sessions and podium presentations, the showcase is for graduate students and postdocs by grad students and postdocs.Register to present or attend the showcase using this survey: pennstate.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

The Eberly Research Showcase: From Molecules to Galaxies is an event for graduate students and postdocs to share their research with the science community at Penn State.

Community is about this!

"Cell Wall Dynamics in Plant Growth and Development” (#1 in number of publications and number of citations globally). Excellent work, Biology Plant folk

Penn State is #1 in citations and papers in the US for plant research. We are also leading in “Lignin and Cellulose in Plant Material Applications” (#2 in number of publications, #1 in number of citations nationally) and

YouTube video by One World Network Unlocking the 0.1% | How Penn State’s Genomics Research Is Transforming Medicine

Check out this great promotional video by the Center for Medical Genomics! It features Director of the Center, Kateryna Makova, as well as Biologists Christian Huber, Zachary Szpiech, and Emily Davenport. You will recognize other colleagues from across the university. youtu.be/OkDxG05CKTU

David Toews standing in front of a table with a book displayed.

The promotion and tenure celebration tradition at Penn State includes profs choosing an important book that has a deep, personal and professional meaning. I chose ‘The Beak of the Finch’ by Jonathan Weiner. Definitely check it out if you haven’t yet!
@psubiodept.bsky.social

Neurobiology Tenure Track Faculty Position APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS: CURRENT PENN STATE EMPLOYEE (faculty, staff, technical service, or student), please login to Workday to complete the internal application process. Please do not apply here, a...

The PSU Biology Dept is hiring a tenure-track Neurobiologist (Assistant or Associate Prof). We are open to a broad range of scientific questions. Join us! Apply here:
psu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/PSU_Academic...

What traits matter when predicting disease emergence in new populations? | Penn State University When a disease-causing virus or other organism is transmitted from one species to another, traits of early virus spread help determine if a virus will ultimately persist in a new population, according...

www.psu.edu/news/researc...

Q&A: How permanent is permafrost with increasing temperatures? | Penn State University The U.S. Department of Defense has awarded a two-year, $957,013 grant to Ming Xiao, professor of civil and environmental engineering, to investigate the effect on permafrost and how its melting could ...

Learn more about permafrost and climate change: bit.ly/4lndO4j

How a genetic tug-of-war decides the fate of a honey bee | Penn State University Despite having identical genetic instructions, female honey bee larvae can develop into either long-lived reproductive queens or short-lived sterile workers who help rear their sisters rather than lay...

“Imagine if your mother's genes and your father's genes were in constant disagreement about how you should develop"
www.psu.edu/news/researc...

Predicting vaccination levels without accurate or timely vaccination data | Penn State University Researchers at Penn State and the World Health Organization have developed a new method to estimate and predict regional measles vaccination coverage levels even when accurate or timely survey data on...

New research co-led by Penn State scientists reveals a novel way to predict measles vaccination rates when data is limited. Their model uses clinic-collected data from suspected cases, enhancing disease prevention. Proud of our team for advancing global public health!
www.psu.edu/news/eberly-...

The breadth of the brain | Penn State University Researchers in the Penn State Neuroscience Institute study the brain’s many aspects in a variety of ways, with implications from mental health to aging and disease.

🧠 Dive into the fascinating world of neuroscience with Penn State’s latest story on the mysteries of the brain! From memory formation to the evolution of the nervous system, discover how interdisciplinary research is driving new insights. Read more: www.psu.edu/news/eberly-... #Neuroscience

When dreams turn dark: Neuroscientists to study nightmares and mental health | Penn State University Dreams, and likely nightmares, are experienced universally across humans and animals, but neuroscientists still do not know why. Now, with a three-year, $1.2 million grant from the W.M. Keck Foundatio...

www.psu.edu/news/enginee...

Dreams, and likely nightmares, are experienced across humans and animals, but neuroscientists still do not know why. Now, an interdisciplinary team of researchers at Penn State will study the underlying mechanisms of nightmares and their relationship with anxiety-related mental health disorders

Feat. 3 Penn State-affiliated scientists this new season of the documentary series "Human Footprint" is available for watching on PBS:
www.pbs.org/show/human-f...

Penn State 3rd in US, 64th globally in 2025 Times Higher Education Impact Rankings | Penn State University Penn State ranks No. 3 in the United States and No. 64 overall among the top international institutions assessed by the 2025 Times Higher Education (THE) University Impact Rankings. These rankings aim...

Penn State 3rd in US, 64th globally in 2025 Times Higher Education Impact Rankings

www.psu.edu/news/impact/...

Two rows of people (12 in total) standing in front of two large windows.

It was fantastic to unplug from the chaos in the world for a few days to focus on the wonderful & impactful science being done in the Ecology & Evolution of Infectious Disease community. Huge thanks to Notre Dame for hosting @eeid2025.bsky.social and I can't wait for @eeid2026.bsky.social next year!

Two Penn State doctoral students selected for industry internship in Germany | Penn State University Two doctoral students from Penn State's One Health Microbiome Center have been selected to intern at QIAGEN's headquarters in Germany this summer. The internship program was developed as a collaborati...

The One Health Microbiome Center in the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences at Penn State is sending two PhD students to Germany, for a ndustry internship at the headquarters of QIAGEN:

www.psu.edu/news/huck-in...

Congratulations to our new doctors that defended their PhD in the last few weeks!

Their final project is a testament to their hard work—give it a look and join us in celebrating their achievement!

Through the integration of publicly available sequencing datasets and GIS-based spatial analysis, they employed multivariate techniques such as structural equation modeling to identify key macroecological patterns driving soil bacterial diversity.

Inside the Microbial Macroecology Class with Dr. Gui Becker

Our students took the lead this semester, launching a project to uncover the abiotic factors shaping soil biodiversity on a global scale...

There were 40 such nice comments. Thanks to Assoc Dean Malcos for organizing and sending them out and thanks to our faculty for making a difference in these students' educational journey.

These letters have just been put in people's mailboxes. Additionally, when faculty receive a shout out in the senior exit survey, those comments will be shared with the faculty.

Every year our graduating senior undergrads are given the opportunity to write a personal note to a faculty member that inspired them. Biology had 27 this year!

Last Friday was the annual Biology Dept Bake Off. The Huber lab reclaimed the rolling pin for the win this year. Thanks to the climate and diversity committee for putting the event together and for everyone that participated.

Highlighting some recent media by Todd Lajeunesse on coral bleaching. He appeared in 96! stories across big cities in the US after doing this piece with FOX News that was picked up by dozens of affiliates. Great work, Todd.

www.teletrax.com/Video/Review...

Our faculty is so proud of all our amazing graduates — congratulations on this huge achievement! 🎓🎉

For your weekly wrap up of all things human genetics and microbiome…The breakthroughs and scholarship of @erdavenport.bsky.social from @psumbiome.bsky.social and @psubiodept.bsky.social