CWRU Department of Biology

Congratulations to PhD Candidate Alicia Matthews! Alicia was selected by the American Society of Hematology to receive the ASH Hematology Inclusion Pathway (HIP) Graduate Student Award—a national honor recognizing promising early‑career hematology researchers.

Read more about it here: https://biology.case.edu/2026/07/28/alicia-matthews-from-the-fortenberry-lab-receives-the-american-society-of-hematology-graduate-student-award/

Have you ever wondered why you come back from a summer picnic feeling like you were on the menu? So did Biology faculty member Dr. Gabriella Wolff. Her research was recently featured on Cleveland's Fox 8 news!

Why do mosquitoes bite some people more than others? CWRU researchers explain Have you ever noticed how mosquitoes seem to swarm some people but leave others alone? Researchers may have finally figured out why.

Research from the Bagby Lab was featured on this month's cover of Nature Microbiology. Read more about it on the Dept of Biology's website here:

Bagby Lab research on mobile genetic elements featured on the cover of Nature Microbiology – Department of Biology Bagby Lab research on mobile genetic elements featured on the cover of Nature Microbiology July 1, 2026 Derek Smith, Dylan Cronin, ecology, Sarah Bagby New research from Sarah Bagby’s group provides the first broad look at the abundance, activity, and impacts of mobile genetic elements in a comple...

"Field work" doesn't always take place in a field! Dr. Gabriella Wolf and PhD Candidate just returned from the Florida Keys, collecting snapping shrimp with different social behaviors.

Research being done by the Fox Lab was featured in a recent issue of CWRU's The Daily.

Could a crane fly’s nervous system inspire new technology to help humans? | CWRU Newsroom | Case Western Reserve University You may not know them by name, but those gangly insects with the spindly legs and long, transparent wings are a familiar sight as spring slides into s...

This week, Dr. Robin Snyder will present a Keynote at the 11th International Evolutionary Demography Society Meeting at Colorado State University, Jun 16-18. Her talk is titled “Scope for luck: a different way for traits to influence success,” how luck and individual traits contribute to overall fitness.

Drs. Roger Quinn, Hillel Chiel, Kathryn Daltorio and Jessica Fox have received a Breaking Boundaries Seed Grant for $100,000 to support the creation of an Institute for Adaptive Behavior. Read more about it on the Dept of Biology's webpage: https://biology.case.edu/2026/05/12/4534/

On April 28, 2026, Dr. Sue Burden-Gulley was awarded the Department of Biology Students’ Choice Award for Outstanding Faculty. The process for identifying the recipient of this award is entirely done by undergraduate students, and is a testament to Dr. Burden-Gulley’s outstanding positive impact on our students. Additionally, Dr. Burden-Gulley was nominated for the J. Bruce Jackson MD Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Mentoring.

Congratulations Sue!

With sorrow, the Department of Biology announces the passing of Professor Emeritus Norman B. Rushforth. Norm’s impact on the department, his colleagues, and his profession was profound.

Read more remembrances on the Biology Department website: https://biology.case.edu/2026/05/18/remembering-former-biology-chair-professor-emeritus-norman-b-rushforth/

Congratulations to to Biology faculty members Drs. Radhika Atit and Brian Taylor for being award the prestigious Diekhoff Awards for Graduate Mentoring!

They join past Biology awardees Drs. Sarah Bagby, Karen Abbott, Jessica Fox, and Hillel Chiel.

Radhika P. Atit, Brian Taylor, Chao-Pin Hsiao and Jessica Taylor recognized with Diekhoff Awards for their teaching and mentoring | CWRU Newsroom | Case Western Reserve University No matter their field of study, Case Western Reserve University graduate students are routinely challenged to consider new ways of thinking and examin...