
Faculty and Staff
Faculty
Bill Hamilton
Biology Department Head and Professor of Biology, Interim Director for Environmental Studies
- Howe Hall 403
- Email: hamiltone@wlu.edu
- Phone: 540-458-8890
Hamilton teaches courses in biology and environmental studies, such as Yellowstone Ecology and Experimental Botany. His research pertains to ecosystem dynamics with a focus on animal-plant-soil interactions in Yellowstone National Park.
Nadia Ayoub
Professor of Biology
- Howe Hall 415
- Email: ayoubn@wlu.edu
- Phone: 540-458-8892
Ayoub teaches Evolution, Genetics, Genomics, Foundations of Modern Biology and Genetic Engineering and Society. Her research focuses on how diversity at the molecular level translates into diversity at the organismal level. Current projects include describing the entire suite of genes needed for silk synthesis in the black widow spider and closely related cobweb weavers and developing phylogenetic markers for spider systematics.
Sarah Blythe
Associate Professor of Biology
- Parmly Hall 301
- Email: blythes@wlu.edu
- Phone: 540-458-8342
Professor Blythe teaches Addiction and Drugs of Abuse, Vertebrate Endocrinology, Anatomy and Physiology, Food for Thought and Experimental Neurophysiology. Her research explores the physiological and neurobiological effects of obesity. Current projects in her laboratory involve diet-induced cognitive impairments, the gut-brain connection (microbiome), and time-restricted feeding paradigms.
Paul Cabe
Professor of Biology
- Howe Hall 303
- Email: cabep@wlu.edu
- Phone: 540-458-8894
Professor Cabe teaches a number of genetics courses, as well as ornithology. His research interests focus on using modern molecular methods to collect data useful in answering questions in the areas of population genetics and evolutionary biology. He is also interested in ornithology, ecology and conservation biology.
Robert Humston
John Kyle Spencer Director for Environmental Studies and Professor of Biology
On Sabbatical AY 2024-2025
- Howe Hall 311
- Email: humstonr@wlu.edu
- Phone: 540-458-8341
Humston teaches Introduction to Environmental Studies, Aquatic Ecology and Ecological Modeling, among other courses. He has researched fisheries management, fish ecology and dispersal/movement behavior of animals and plants.
Lawrence E. Hurd
Herwick Professor of Biology
- Parmly Hall 321
- Email: hurdl@wlu.edu
- Phone: 540-458-8484
Hurd teaches zoology, ecology and biodiversity conservation. His research is on tropical biodiversity and entomology.
Helen I’Anson
AIM Program Co-Director, John T. Perry Professor of Biology and Research Science
- Howe Hall 405
- Email: iansonh@wlu.edu
- Phone: 540-458-8974
Professor I’Anson teaches courses in fundamentals of biology, animal physiology, microanatomy, reproductive physiology and neuroendocrinology. She also supervises W&L students in the Biology Department’s St. Andrews-W&L Partnership Program. She is currently researching the neurobiology of puberty.
Leah Lanier
Adjunct Laboratory Instructor of Biology
- Parmly Hall 301
- Email: lanierl@wlu.edu
- Phone: 540-458-5878
Jessica LaPrice
Associate Professor of Biology
- Howe Hall 405
- Email: jlaprice@wlu.edu
- Phone: 540-458-8974
David Marsh
Professor of Biology
- Parmly Hall 320A
- Email: marshd@wlu.edu
- Phone: 540-458-8176
Marsh teaches Intro to Behavioral Ecology, Microbiome, Field Herpetology, Animal Behavior and Statistics for Biology and Medicine. His research includes effects of climate change on endemic mountaintop salamanders, effects of roads and land use on frog and toad populations across the Eastern and central U.S., and population dynamics of terrestrial salamanders.
Alicia Reigel
Assistant Professor of Biology
- Science Addition H313
- Email: areigel@wlu.edu
- Phone: 540-458-8896
Natalia Toporikova
Associate Professor of Biology
- Parmly Hall 303
- Email: toporikovan@wlu.edu
- Phone: 540-458-5809
Professor Toporikova’s courses include Biological Clocks and Rhythms, The Architecture of Living Systems, Dynamics of Biological Systems and Pregnancy: A Kiss in Time? In her research, she applies methods of computational modeling to study a wide range of biological systems. Some recent projects include neural control of breathing, pregnancy initiation in rats, and daily circadian cycle.
Fiona Watson
Associate Professor of Biology
- Howe Hall 413
- Email: watsonf@wlu.edu
- Phone: 540-458-8864
Professor Watson’s courses include Cell Biology, Animal Development, Neural Imaging and CSI: W&L. Her overall research interests encompass two main areas of investigation: 1) the recovery of optic nerve axons of adult Xenopus using a nerve crush injury model, and 2) the effects of pesticide exposure on the neurogenesis of sensory neurons.
Gregg Whitworth
Associate Professor of Biology
- Howe Hall 317
- Email: whitworthg@wlu.edu
- Phone: 540-458-8895
Whitworth’s courses include Data Science: Visualizing and Exploring Big Data and The Molecular Mechanics of Life.
Charles Winder
Laboratory Instructor
- Howe Hall 411
- Email: winderc@wlu.edu
- Phone: 540-458-8444
Winder holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of North Carolina, Asheville, and a master\’s in botany from the University of Tennessee
Staff
Emeritus Faculty
Maryanne Simurda
Emeritus Professor of Biology
Simurda teaches Fundamentals of Biology, Parasitology, Microbiology, Immunology and Virology. She studies the effects of temperature and the presence of ampicillin or tetracycline on the motility of Serratia marcescens, a bacterium and opportunistic pathogen found in nosocomial infections. She also works with W&L\’s Legal Clinic, providing biological information and explanations needed for court hearings in black lung disease cases.