Marine Biology

Type of degree: M.S.

Brief overview of program: The graduate programs in marine biology and biology are designed (1) to prepare students for further graduate work leading to a Ph.D.; (2) to provide professional biologists with advanced research and educational opportunities; (3) to prepare students as managers of coastal and marine resources, trained to deal with contemporary problems in the environment; and (4) to provide students with a broad-based graduate program allowing for specialization in the diverse fields of inquiry represented by the faculty of the department.

Website: Click here for program website

Description of Facilities: The Department of Biology and Marine Biology is located in the Dobo Hall and in Friday Hall, which house modern research and teaching facilities. Additional faculty research laboratories are located in the nearby Center for Marine Science (CMS), an integral part of the university that promotes basic and applied research in the fields of oceanography, coastal and wetlands studies, marine biomedical and environmental physiology, and marine biotechnology and aquaculture. The university's laboratories contain modern equipment that enables study in disciplines as diverse as molecular and cellular biology, light and electron microscopy, organismal biology and behavior, and ecology. Boats ranging from 13 to 25 feet are available through CMS for coastal research. CMS also operates the 63-foot R/V Cape Fear. Larger vessels for offshore work are available through a consortium of North Carolina universities that support the 135-foot research vessel Cape Hatteras. The university is also the host organization for one of the NOAA-sponsored National Undersea Research Centers (NURC). This program supports fisheries management research, studies of ocean floor processes, and other shelf research from the Gulf of Maine to the Gulf of Mexico. NURC facilities include remote operated vehicles and the undersea habitat, Aquarius. Undeveloped barrier islands are located within a short distance of the university, as are two estuarine sanctuaries that provide broad expanses of coastal marsh. Locally, Wilmington and the surrounding area contain large wetland ecosystems, as well as an expansive tidal swamp associated with the Cape Fear estuary.

Program Faculty: Daniel G. Baden: Director of Center for Marine Science and William R. Kenan, Jr. Distinguished professor: Marine Toxicology J. Craig Bailey: Associate Professor: Biology of Photosynthetic Eukaryotes Steven W. Brewer: Assistant Professor: Plant Ecology Lawrence B. Cahoon: Professor: Biological Oceanography Gregory T. Chandler: Assistant Professor: Plant Systematics and Conservation Biology Ileana E. Clavijo: Associate Professor: Fisheries Biology Richard M. Dillaman: Professor: Animal Morphology, Electron Microscopy MIchael J. Durako: Professor: Coastal Plant Biology Steven D. Emslie: Associate Professor: Marine Ornithology, Paleoecology Christopher M. Finelli: Assistant Professor: Biological Oceanography Courtney T. Hackney: Professor: Estuarine Ecology Donald F. Kapraun: Professor: Marine Phycology Stephen T. Kinsey: Associate Professor: Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Heather N. Koopman: Assistant Professor: Marine Lipid Physiology Thomas E. Lankford: Associate Professor: Ichthyology Michael A. McCartney: Associate Professor: Molecular Ecology and Evolution of Marine Invertebrates and Fishes Joel J. Mintzes: Professor: General Biology: Biological Education D. Ann Pabst: Assistant Chair/Graduate Coordinator & Professor: Marine Mammalogy David E. Padgett: Professor: Marine Mycology Joseph R. Pawlik: Professor: Marine Chemical Ecology Martin H. Posey: Department Chair & Professor: Estuarine Ecology Robert D. Roer: Dean of Graduate School and Research & Professor: Animal Physiology, Biomineralization Richard A. Satterlie: Frank Hawkins Kenan Distinguished Professor: Neurophysiology Frederick S. Scharf: Assistant Professor: Fisheries Biology Thomas H. Shafer: Associate Professor: Developmental Biology Ronald K. Sizemore: Associate Director for Academic Planning, Center for Marine Science & Professor: Marine Microbiology Bongkeun Song: Assistant Professor: Marine Microbiology Amanda Southwood: Assistant Professor: Animal Physiology Ann E. Stapleton: Assistant Professor: Plant Physiology Alina M. Szmant: Professor: Coral Biology Alison R. Taylor: Assistant Professor: Cell Biology Carmelo R. Tomas: Associate Professor: Marine Phytoplankton Marcel van Tuinen: Assistant Professor: Vertebrate Evolutionary Biology Wm. David Webster: Associate Dean for Graduate Studies, Research, and Infrastructure and Professor and Curator of Mammals: Mammalogy Ami E. Wilbur: Associate Professor: Shellfish Genetics and Mariculture

Student Support: http://www.uncw.edu/bio/grad-grants.html

Program Point of Contact: Daniel G. Baden

Email: baden@uncw.edu

Department: Center for Marine Science

Institution address: Myrtle Grove 1116 5600 Marvin K. Moss Lane
                             Wilmington,NC 28409

Phone: (910) 962-2408 ext. 2302