About Us

Chair Welcome

Welcome to the department of Biology at UVU! Our goal is to provide you with an engaging, exciting, and rewarding educational experience in an inclusive and supportive community. This is an exciting time to be a biologist! Advances in molecular biology and bioinformatics are leading to new insights in every field from ecology and evolution to genetics, cell biology, and microbiology. These diverse research areas provide information essential to addressing today’s challenges surrounding human, plant, animal and environmental health. Knowledge gained through the study of biology is being used to better understand and combat human, animal, and plant diseases. It is helping improve agricultural practices and develop new varieties of crops. Studies in ecology are providing knowledge about the health of our ecosystems and allowing us to address environmental sustainability, global climate change, and biodiversity conservation. Our degree programs provide the skills and knowledge necessary for you to tackle these challenges after graduation, as you join the workforce or further your study in graduate or professional programs. We look forward to guiding you as you work to accomplish your goals here at UVU!

Our Mission

The mission of the Biology Department is to create an engaged learning environment that promotes biological inquiry and the development of evidence based critical thinking skills.  The department provides educational and research opportunities that support students in accomplishing their goals for post-graduate education, professional careers, and becoming scientifically informed citizens. The department fosters engagement, collaboration, mentoring, and professional development for faculty, staff, and students.

About the Biology Department

The UVU Biology department has 26 tenured and tenure track faculty along with a variety of instructors working across diverse areas of biology. Our faculty strive to be strong and skilled educators who believe that faculty and students have a shared responsibility to create a safe and inclusive learning environment for everyone. We recognize excellent student education as our first priority and engage students in their learning through classroom, laboratory, field work, research, and service opportunities. Our faculty maintain active research programs across many biological subdisciplines, allowing them to mentor student researchers investigating a diversity of research questions. The department has four different bachelor’s degree programs: Biology, Biology Education, Biotechnology and Botany, along with an associate’s degree in Biology. Our graduates have gone on to professional careers in health-related fields, are employed in the private and public sector as biologists and research scientists, and work in the school systems as educators. Please explore our website to learn more about our Department and what we have to offer. For more information please contact the Biology Advisors.

Faculty & Staff

Heath Ogden

Heath Ogden

Professor
Department Chair

Evolution
Bioinformatics
Entomology
Science Pedagogy

heath.ogden@uvu.edu

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801.863.6909 | SB 243a | MS: 299

 

Lana Korstanje

Lana Korstanje

Administrative Support

korstaal@uvu.edu

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801.863.8511 | SB 243 | MS: 299
801.863.5983 | SB 242j | MS: 299
Lauren Brooks

Lauren Brooks

Assistant Professor

Microbiology

lauren.brooks@uvu.edu

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801.863.8479 | SB 242g | MS: 299
Paul Bybee

Paul Bybee

Professor

Vertebrate
Paleontology

bybeepa@uvu.edu

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801.863.8802 | SB 242u | MS: 299
Jessica A. Cusick

Jessica A. Cusick

Assistant Professor
Behavioral Ecology, Social Behavior,
Stress Physiology, Development,
Host-Microbiome Relationships,
Evolution

 

jcusick@uvu.edu

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801.863.8622 | SB 242x | MS: 299
Eric Domyan

Eric Domyan

Associate Professor

Genetics

eric.domyan@uvu.edu

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801.863.5422 | SB 242v | MS: 299
Paul Dunn

Paul Dunn

Associate Professor

Ecology
Invertebrate Zoology
Marine Biology
Parasitology

paul.dunn@uvu.edu

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801.863.5915 | SB 243e| MS: 299
Ashley Egan

Ashley Egan

Assistant Professor

 

AEgan@uvu.edu

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801.863.5466 | SB 243f | MS: 299
Daniel Fairbanks

Daniel Fairbanks

Professor

Genetics

daniel.fairbanks@uvu.edu

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801.863.6440 | BA 110 | MS: 224
Kandace Flanary

Kandace Flanary

Lecturer

Science Pedagogy
Evolutionary Ecology

Kflanary@uvu.edu

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801.863.5984 | SB 243m | MS: 299
Sarah Flood

Sara Flood

Associate Professor

Anatomy

sara.flood@uvu.edu

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801.863.5674 | SB 242w | MS: 299
Chantal Hart

Chantal Hart

Lecturer

 

TBD | TBD | MS: 299
801.863.6983 | SB 249 | MS: 299
Carl Hjelmen

Carl Hjelmen

Assistant Professor
Bioinformatics, Genomics,
Phylogenetics, Entomology

 

Carl.Hjelmen@uvu.edu

More Information

801.863.8084 | SB 242b | MS: 299
Colleen Hough

Colleen Hough

Associate Professor

Biotechnology

colleenh@uvu.edu

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801.863.5197 | SB 052b | MS: 299
Olga Kopp

Olga Kopp

Professor

Botany

koppol@uvu.edu

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801.863. | SB 243d | MS: 299
Ruhul Kuddus

Ruhul Kuddus

Professor

Microbiology

Ruhul.kuddus@uvu.edu

More Information

801.863.6260 | SB 243j | MS: 299
Chantal Hart

Yuya Liang

Assistant Professor

Botany

TBD | SB 242R | MS: 299
Alma Laney

Alma Laney

Assistant Professor

 

alaney@uvu.edu

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801.863.8520 | SB 243p | MS: 299
Amanda Lavelle

Amanda Lavelle

Lecturer

Plant Genetics
Genomics

ALavelle@uvu.edu

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801.863.4895 | SB 243b | MS: 299
Mandy Marvel

Mandy Marvel

Lab Manager

 

mandy.marvel@uvu.edu

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801.863.7552 | SB 057b | MS: 299
Melissa Monk-Cavan

Melissa Monk-Cavan

Lab Manager

 

monkme@uvu.edu

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801.863.6910 | SB 174 | MS: 299
Joseph Mugleston

Joseph Mugleston

Lecturer

 

jmugleston@uvu.edu

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801.863.8558 | SB 243t | MS: 299
Josh Premo

Josh Premo

Assistant Professor

 

jpremo@uvu.edu

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801.863.5197 | SB 243k | MS: 299
Portrait of James V. Price

James V. Price

Professor

Genetics

pricejm@uvu.edu

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801.863.7447 | SB 243e | MS: 299
Erin Riggs

Erin Riggs

Herbarium
Director-Curator

Field Botany

erin.riggs@uvu.edu

More Information

801.863.6806 | SB 277 | MS: 299
Micah Ross

Micah Ross

Assistant Professor

Anatomy/Physiology

TBD | SB 242M | MS: 299
Michael Rotter

Michael Rotter

Assistant Professor

MRotter@uvu.edu

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801.863. | SB 242c | MS: 299
Josh Snyder

Josh Snyder

Botany Lab Manager

 

JSnyder@uvu.edu

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801.863.8695 | SB 274a | MS: 299
Michael T. Stevens

Michael T. Stevens

Professor

Plant Ecology
Science Education

michael.stevens@uvu.edu

More Information

801.863.5196 | SB 242h | MS: 299
Boston Swan

Boston Swan

Greenhouse Director

boston.swan@uvu.edu

More Information

801.863.4732 | SB 270 | MS: 299
Sebastien Tauzin

Sebastien Tauzin

Associate Professor

Cell Biology

sebastien.tauzin@uvu.edu

More Information

801.863.5675 | SB 242n | MS: 299
Danielle Taylor

Danielle Taylor

Assistant Professor

Neurophysiology

danielle.taylor@uvu.edu

More Information

801.863.5747 | SB 155 | MS: 299
Devin Taylor

Devin Taylor

Assistant Professor

Neurophysiology

devin.taylor@uvu.edu

More Information

801.863.5787 | SB 159 | MS: 299
Zoe Thompson

Zoe Thompson

Assistant Professor

Neuroendocrinology,
experimental evolution,
neurobiology of
voluntary exercise

ZThompson@uvu.edu

More Information

801.863.5786 | SB 242z | MS: 299
Devin Taylor

Kiara Whitley

Teaching Lab Manager

 

KWhitley@uvu.edu

More Information

801.863.8673 | SB 050 | MS: 299
 Lavon Tonga

Lavon Tonga

Lecturer
 

Molecular Biology

LTonga@uvu.edu

More Information

801.863.8739 | SB 243g | MS: 299
Elyse Vaccaro

Elyse Vaccaro

Assistant Professor

Evolution of Reproductive Behavior,
Neural Response to Pheromones

EVaccaro@uvu.edu

More Information

801.863.4704 | SB 243q | MS: 299
Wayne Whaley

Wayne Whaley

Professor

Indra Swallowtail
Butterfly

wwhaley@uvu.edu

More Information

801.863.8607 | SB 242s | MS: 299
Nick Wilbur

Nick Wilbur

Lab Manager

 

nwilbur@uvu.edu

More Information

801.863.5785 | SB 158 | MS: 299
Heather Wilson-Ashworth

Heather Wilson-Ashworth

Professor

Science Pedagogy
Human Physiology

heather.ashworth@uvu.edu

More Information

801.863.7031 | SB 242f | MS: 299
Brittney Wyatt

Britt Wyatt

Assistant Professor

Molecular biology and science pedagogy

britt.wyatt@uvu.edu

More Information

801.863.6207 | SB 242y | MS: 299
Geoff Zahn

Geoff Zahn

Assistant Professor

Microbiology

gzahn@uvu.edu

More Information

801.863.5676 | SB 242t | MS: 299

 

Emeritus Faculty

Jim Harris

Mark Bracken

Emeritus Professor

Biology

mark.bracken@uvu.edu

Jim Harris

Jim Harris

Emeritus Professor

Field Botany

jharris@uvu.edu

Jim Harris

Bruce Parker

Emeritus Professor

Biology

Parkerbr@uvu.edu

Robert Robbins

Robert Robbins

Emeritus Professor

Plant Physiology

robbinro@uvu.edu