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Gerardo R. Vasta
GVasta@som.umaryland.edu
web site
Molecular aspects and evolution of the acute phase response in vertebrates and invertebrates; structure/function relationships in carbohydrate-binding proteins; role of lectins in development and internal defense; host/parasite interactions; disease prevention, control in fisheries

Victoria Volkis
vvolkis@umes.edu
web site (under construction)
Natural plants in antifouling protection, the science of biofilm formation and prevention, polymeric resins for extraction of antioxidants, natural pants incapsulated into biodegradable polymers as natural pesticides.

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Yan Waguespack
yywaguespack@umes.edu
web site
Lethal and sublethal responses of early life-stages of winter flounder to habitat contamination in their natal estuaries; sublethal physiological effects of heavy metal on ecologically key marine and aquatic organisms by using 31P NMR, AAS and ICP-AES; characterization of high molecular weight mucin-like glycoconjugates from fish models; heavy metal and polyaromatic hydrocarbon investigations on sediment along Maryland coastal bay, and heavy metal contaminants' effect on SAV plant along Maryland coastal bay; phyto remediation of TNT, DNT and other contaminants

Lisa Wainger
wainger@umces.edu
web site
Risk analysis and decision support tools for prioritizing natural resource management options; invasive species risk assessment; wetland restoration prioritization; ecological and economic indicators for communicating relative costs and benefits of natural resource change

Raymond R. Weil (*currently not accepting students)
rweil@umd.edu
web site
Soil ecology; plant-soil relationships; soil fertility; soil quality; environmental impacts of agricultural systems; nutrient and carbon cycling; cover crops in sustainable cropping systems; soil management. 

Claire Welty
weltyc@umbc.edu
web site
Transport processes in aquifers; mathematical modeling of groundwater flow and transport in porous and fractured media; application of stochastic methods to interpreting groundwater problems; design and analysis of field-scale hydraulic and tracer tests

Justine Whitaker
jwhitaker@umes.edu
web site
I use genomic and epigenomic tools to answer ecological and evolutionary questions about imperiled and invasive species.

Michael Wilberg
wilberg@umces.edu
web site
Stock assessment; dynamics of exploited populations; harvest policy development and application; statistical model selection and averaging

Gerald Wilkinson
wilkinso@umd.edu
web site
Dr. Wilkinson conducts research on the evolution of social behavior, with emphasis on how genetic mechanisms may influence the outcome of evolution. Recent research in the lab addresses several controversial topics in animal behavior: sexual selection, genomic conflict, cooperation and communication. Stalk-eyed flies are being used as a model system for studying the evolution of sexually selected traits. Our recent empirical and theoretical results have surprisingly implicated meiotic drive as a potent evolutionary agent which can catalyze sexual selection. Using quantitative trait locus studies we confirmed the prediction that sex-linked genes that influence a sexually selected trait are linked to genes causing sex chromosome meiotic drive. By hybridizing genomic DNA to custom Agilent  microarrays we discovered that stalk-eyed flies contain a neo-X chromosome and that genes have moved both onto and off of this chromosome.  We have recently assembled the genome for a stalk-eyed fly and are currently using RNA-seq to infer gene duplication events and expression change across tissues and sexes for over a dozen different species of flies.  Bats in the neotropics and in the US are also being studied in the lab and field to understand how communication mediates cooperation and social learning.  

Ten-Tsao Wong
wong@umbc.edu
web site
Molecular, cellular and applied aspects of fish germ cell biology, reproductive physiology and vaccine development

Ryan Woodland (*currently not accepting students)
woodland@umces.edu
web site
Trophic and food web ecology, anthropogenic effects on coastal ecosystems, stable isotope ecology, ecological connectivity across coastal ecosystems

L. Curry Woods III
curry@umd.edu
web site
Aquaculture; evaluation of fish gamete quality; cryopreservation of fish sperm; physiological responsiveness of fish to stress; selective breeding of striped bass. 

 

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Meng Xia
mxia@umes.edu
web site
Numerical modeling of estuarine and coastal ocean, such as hydrodynamic modeling and plume dynamics; water quality modeling and bio-physical interaction; wave-current coupling and nearshore circulation 

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Stephanie Yarwood (*currently not accepting students)
syarwood@umd.edu 
Microbial interactions and functioning in soils, with the overall goal of understanding environmental factors that affect microbial community composition and how microbial community structure in turn affects ecosystem function; examination of how subsurface microbial communities change during soil formation and how microbial communities vary due to anthropogenic disturbance.

Lance T. Yonkos
lyonkos@umd.edu
web site
Point and non-point source pollution effects on the health of aquatic biota particularly in Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries; endocrine disruption as a consequence of environmental exposure to complex contaminant mixtures. 

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Xin Zhang
xzhang@al.umces.edu
web site
Environmental science and policy, coupled human and natural systems, biogeochemical cycles of carbon and nitrogen, earth system modeling, atmospheric-biosphere interactions.

Jian Zhao
jianzhao@umces.edu
web site
I am a physical oceanographer seeking to understand multi-scale oceanic processes and their roles in the global climate system. My approach is observational, using both traditional and modern innovative instrument platforms – such as autonomous underwater vehicle– coupled with numerical modeling, to explore fundamental physical processes. 

Yonathan Zohar
zohar@umbc.edu
web site
Fish physiology, aquaculture and endocrinology; environmental and hormonal regulation of fish reproductive cycles, spawning induction technologies, drug delivery in aquaculture, molecular biotechnology