Faculty and Staff
Stewart, George - Chair of Biology
Ph.D., Rice University - Parasitology
Research interests:
Teaches: Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases, Parasitology, Pathophysiology
Received the Special Recognition Award (2001) from the American Society of Parasitologists for service to the Society
Email: gstewart@uwf.edu
Faculty Webpage: http://uwf.edu/biology/facstaff/stewart.cfm
Phone: 850.473.7226
Behan, Kristina J. - Chair of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, PreProfessional Health Advisor
Ph.D., Carnegie Mellon University - Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology
M.T., Jersey Shore Medical Center School Of Medical Technology
Research interests: As a clinical lab scientist, I am interested in improving the quality of laboratory testing in human health. I use biochemical, cellular and molecular approaches to this. Currently, my lab is focused on testing used by people with diabetes mellitus. We are evaluating laboratory results for glucose and Hemoglobin A1c from patients who have normal hemoglobin, sickle cell trait hemoglobin, and other variants that are found in African American and Asians.
Teaches: Molecular Diagnostics, Clinical Chemistry I and II, Diagnostic Microbiology, Intro to Clinical Lab Sciences
Email: kbehan@uwf.edu
Phone: 850.474.3060
Faculty Webpage: http://uwf.edu/biology/facstaff/behan.cfm
Bennett, Wayne - Associate Professor
Ph.D., University of North Texas - Ecophysiology, Marine Ecology, and Marine Ichthyology
Research interests:
Teaches: General Zoology, Comparative Animal Physiology, Introduction to Oceanography & Marine Biology, Fish Physiology, Marine Ecological Physiology, Quantifying Stress in Marine Organisms, Marine Mammalogy
Email: wbennett@uwf.edu
Phone: 850.474.3362
Bonomelli, Sherman - Lecturer
M.S., University of West Florida - Cellular and Molecular Biology
Email: sbonomel@uwf.edu
Phone: 850.474.2887
Faculty Webpage: http://uwf.edu/sbonomel/
Caffrey, Jane - Associate Professor
Ph.D., University of Maryland - Marine, Environmental and Estuarine Studies
Research interests: Estuarine nutrient biogeochemistry; In-situ nutrient analysis; Water quality, including the factors controlling dissolved oxygen dynamics and metabolism; Atmospheric deposition of nutrients, mercury and other trace metals
Teaches: Estuarine Ecology, Aquatic Botany
Email: jcaffrey@uwf.edu
Phone: 850.857.6089
Faculty Webpage: http://www.uwf.edu/biology/facstaff/caffrey
Celestial, Steve - Department Advisor
M.S., University of West Florida - Health Education
Email: scelestial@uwf.edu
Phone: 850.474.2885
Chung, Hui-Min - Assistant Professor
Ph.D., Columbia University/New York, NY - Genetics & Development
Research interests: I am interested in understanding how an animal develops. My laboratory utilizes contemporary molecular methods and the powerful genetics of the common fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster to study signaling transductions that regulate cell fate determination and cell growth. I am also a strong advocate of enrooting undergraduate science education in doing basic research. Students in my lab participate various research activities including developmental genetics and genomic studies.
Teaches: Genetics, Genetic Engineering, Human Genetics, Molecular Genetics
Email: hchung@uwf.edu
Phone: 850.474.2321
Faculty Webpage: http://uwf.edu/biology/facstaff/chung.cfm
Darby, Philip - Associate Professor
Ph.D., University of Florida - Wildlife Ecology & Conservation
Research interests:
Teaches: General Biology, Wetlands Ecology, Animal Behavior, Quantitative Ecology
Email: pdarby@uwf.edu
Phone: 850.474.2647
Faculty Webpage: http://uwf.edu/biology/facstaff/darby.cfm
D'Asaro, Charles - Professor Emeritus
Ph.D., University of Miami - Marine Biology
Teaches: Zoology, Developmental Biology
Email: cdasaro@uwf.edu
Phone: 850.474.2750
Faculty Webpage:
Davis, David - Lecturer
M.S., University of West Florida - Cellular & Molecular Biology
Teaches: Cell Biology, Biochemistry, Honors Biology
Email: dcdavis@uwf.edu
Phone: 850.474.2111
Faculty Webpage: http://uwf.edu/biology/facstaff/dcdavis.cfm
Fox, Theodore - Assistant Professor
Ph.D., University of Maryland - Botany
Research interests:
Teaches: Botany, Plant Biotechnology, Plant Developmental Biology, Plant Physiology, Medicinal Botany, Forensic Biology
Email: tfox@uwf.edu
Phone: 850.474.2754
Faculty Webpage: http://uwf.edu/biology/facstaff/fox.cfm
Gibbs, Karen - Administrative Specialist
A.A., Pensacola Junior College - Business Administration
Email: kgibbs@uwf.edu
Phone: 850.474.2014
Gunn, Kristen - Office Specialist
B.A., University of West Florida - History
Email: kgunn@uwf.edu
Phone: 850.474.2772
Hammond, James - Instrument Maker/Designer
A.A., Florida Community College
Email: jhammond@uwf.edu
Phone: 850.857.6339
Jeffrey, Wade - Professor
Ph.D., University of South Florida - Marine Science
Research interests:
Teaches: Biological Oceanography, Climate Change Biology, Professional Development, Genetics, Marine Microbiology, Marine Biotechnology, Biology Seminar
Email: wjeffrey@uwf.edu
Phone: 850.474.2472
Faculty Webpage: http://uwf.edu/biology/facstaff/jeffrey.cfm
Lepo, Joe - Associate Professor
Ph.D., University of Texas@Austin - Microbiology/Biochemistry
Acting Director, Institute for Coastal and Estuarine Research, University of West Florida
Research interests:
Teaches: Microbiology
Email: jlepo@uwf.edu
Phone: 850.857.6098
Faculty Webpage: http://www.uwf.edu/jlepo/firstpage.html
Patterson, William - Associate Professor
Ph.D., University of South Alabama - Marine Science
Research interests: Marine Ecology, Fisheries Biology, Population Dynamics, and Population Structure and Connectivity
Teaches: Marine Vertebrate Zoology, Aquaculture, Fisheries Biology, Oceanography, Marine Biology
Email: wpatterson@uwf.edu
Phone: 850.857.6123
Faculty Webpage: http://uwf.edu/biology/facstaff/patterson.cfm
Pomory, Christopher - Associate Professor
Ph.D., University of South Florida - Biology
Research interests: Students working in my laboratory typically concentrate on investigating questions concerning physiology, behavior, and ecology of invertebrates, especially marine invertebrates. The primary focus is on how organisms respond to stress in the environment. An area of particular interest to me, but not necessarily all the graduate students working in the lab, is the biology and taxonomy of the Echinodermata commonly known as starfish, sea urchins, and brittle stars.
Teaches: General Zoology, Marine Invertebrate Zoology, Invertebrates of Coral Reefs, Biogeography, Evolution, Experimental Design in Biology, Coastal Studies Seminar, Animal Behavior
Email: cpomory@uwf.edu
Phone: 850.857.6028
Faculty Webpage: http://uwf.edu/biology/facstaff/pomory.cfm
Pritchard, Karen - Instructor
Ph.D., University of Georgia - Fish Pathology
Research interests:
Teaches: Anatomy & Physiology, Human Physiology, Genetics, Zoology
Email: kpritchard@uwf.edu
Phone: 850.474.2753
Faculty Webpage:
Ryals, Phillip E. - Associate Professor
Ph.D., University of Alabama - Cellular Biology
Research Interests: Membrane protein and membrane lipid function/metabolism, transmembrane signaling, inositol isomer function/metabolism, and the molecular basis of differentiation in lower eukaryotes
Teaches: Biochemistry I, Biochemistry/Metabolism, Molecular Biology
Email: pryals@uwf.edu
Phone: 850.474.2751
Faculty Webpage: http://uwf.edu/biology/facstaff/ryals.cfm
Sharak-Genthner, Barbara - Assistant Professor
Ph.D., University of Illinois - Anaerobic Bacterial Physiology
Research interests:
Teaches: Fundamentals of Microbiology, Genetics Laboratory, Microbiology Laboratory, Anaerobic Bacteria
Email: bgenthne@uwf.edu
Phone: 850.857.6097
Faculty Webpage:
Sharma, Venkat - Professor & Director, Health Science Advisory Programs
Ph.D., University of Madras (India) - Immunology
Research interests: B-cell Cytokine Biology, Transcription Biology and Polymer Bioscience
Teaches: Immunology, Advanced Immunology, Virology
Email: vsharma@uwf.edu
Phone: 850.474.2649
Faculty Webpage: http://www.uwf.edu/vsharma/
Snyder, Richard - Professor and Director of Center for Environmental Diagnostics and Bioremediation
Ph.D., University of Maryland - Zoology
Research interests: Micro- and macro- ecology, pollution studies
Teaches: Ecology, Marine Field Ecology
Email: rsnyder@uwf.edu
Phone: 850.474.2806
Faculty Webpage: http://uwf.edu/biology/facstaff/snyder.cfm