PDF version of this chapterBiological Sciences
Hancock Foundation Building 107
(213) 740-1109
FAX: (213) 740-8123
Email (undergraduate programs): biodept@usc.edu
Email (graduate programs): marinebio@usc.edu, molecule@usc.edu, neurosci@usc.edu
Chair: David Caron, Ph.D.
Faculty
ARCO/William F. Kieschnick Chair in the Neurobiology of Aging and University Professor: Caleb E. Finch, Ph.D.Ester Dornsife Chair in Biological Sciences and Distinguished Professor: Norman Arnheim, Ph.D.
George and Louise Kawamoto Chair in Biological Sciences: Simon Tavaré, Ph.D.
William M. Keck Chair in Biological Sciences: Richard F. Thompson, Ph.D. (Psychology)
McCulloch-Crosby Chair in Marine Biology: Jed Fuhrman, Ph.D.
USC Associates Chair in Natural Sciences and University Professor: Michael S. Waterman
William and Julie Wrigley Chair in Environmental Studies: Douglas G. Capone, Ph.D.
Milo Don and Lucille Appleman Professorship in Biological Sciences: Larry Swanson, Ph.D.
Paxson H. Offield Professorship in Fisheries Ecology: Dennis Hedgecock, Ph.D.
Gabilan Assistant Professorship in Biological Sciences: Michelle Arbeitman, Ph.D.
Professors: Michael A. Arbib, Ph.D. (Computer Science); Robert F. Baker, Ph.D.; Gerald Bakus, Ph.D.; Michel Baudry, Ph.D.; Sarah Bottjer, Ph.D.; William Louis Byerly, Ph.D.; David Caron, Ph.D.; Myron F. Goodman, Ph.D.; Dennis Hedgecock, Ph.D.; Albert A. Herrera, Ph.D.*
Associate Professors: Oscar M. Aparicio, Ph.D.; Xiaojiang Chen, Ph.D.; Suzanne Edmands, Ph.D.; Susan Forsburg, Ph.D.; Judith Hirsch, Ph.D.; Lei Li, Ph.D.; Magnus Nordborg, Ph.D.; Peter M. Shugarman, Ph.D.*; Fengzhu Sun, Ph.D.; John Tower, Ph.D.
Assistant Professors: Donald Arnold, Ph.D.; Samantha Butler, Ph.D.; Ting Chen, Ph.D.; Steven Finkel, Ph.D.; Andrew Gracey, Ph.D.; Emily Liman, Ph.D.; Jeffrey Wall, Ph.D.; Xianghong Zhou, Ph.D.; Wiebke Ziebis, Ph.D.
Adjunct Professors: Luis Chiappe, Ph.D.; Kirk Fitzhugh, Ph.D.; John Heyning, Ph.D.; Joel W. Martin, Ph.D.
Adjunct Associate Professors: Gordon Hendler, Ph.D.; Richard Pieper, Ph.D.
Adjunct Assistant Professors: Angel Valdes, Ph.D.; Xiaoming Wang, Ph.D.; Regina Wetzer, Ph.D.
Research Professor: Melvin Lyon, Ph.D.
Research Associate Professors: Linda Duguay, Ph.D.; Burton H. Jones, Ph.D.
Research Assistant Professors: Mihail Bota, Ph.D; Gully Burns, Ph.D.; Peter Calabrese, Ph.D.; Myrna Jacobson, Ph.D.; Phuong Pham, Ph.D.; Yoshie Sugiura, Ph.D.
Emeriti Professors: Bernard C. Abbott, Ph.D.*; Michael Appleman, Ph.D.; James W. Bartholomew, Ph.D.; Robert Bils, Ph.D.; Richard Deonier, Ph.D.; Arnold S. Dunn, Ph.D.; Walter E. Martin, Ph.D.; John L. Mohr, Ph.D.; Basil G. Nafpaktitis, Ph.D.; Edwin M. Perkins, Jr., Ph.D.; Thomas R. Pray, Ph.D.; Russel Zimmer, Ph.D.
Academic Program Staff
Directors of Instructional Laboratories: Shelley Cao, Ph.D.; Celeste Chong-Cerrillo, Ph.D.; Pam Lum, Ph.D.; Eric Price, Ph.DPrograms
The Department of Biological Sciences has research faculty with specialties in three disciplines: marine environmental biology, molecular and computational biology, and neurobiology. A diversity of upper division undergraduate and graduate courses permits biology majors to choose an emphasis in any of these three disciplines.The department offers both B.A. and B.S. degrees in biological sciences and an honors program in which a student can earn either a B.A. or a B.S. degree in biological sciences with honors. The B.S. in biochemistry is offered as a joint program with the Department of Chemistry. The honors program is available to students who maintain a GPA of 3.5 in the sciences and who have completed their freshman year. The honors program includes research opportunities, seminars and thesis preparation courses. Applications for the Honors Program are available in Hancock 105.
Undergraduates in biological sciences have the opportunity to become involved in laboratory or field research by taking research courses for some of their elective units.
At the graduate level, the department offers challenging degree programs that lead to an M.S. and/or Ph.D. in Biology (with options in either marine environmental biology, neurobiology/cell biology or integrative and evolutionary biology) and an M.S. and/or Ph.D. in Molecular and Computational Biology.
Honor Society
The Department of Biological Sciences offers membership in Phi Sigma, a national honor society, to selected biology majors (Alpha Alpha Chapter at USC.) Phi Sigma is devoted to the promotion of research and academic excellence in the biological sciences. Students with a GPA above 3.0 who have interest in research and have completed core requirements for the first two years in biological sciences are eligible. Major activities range from presentation of papers by members and lectures by outside speakers to field trips, laboratory demonstrations and joint research projects. The advisor is Professor John Petruska, Ph.D., SHS 561, (213) 740-5189.Catalina Semester
This new and expanded program is specifically designed for both environmental studies and biological sciences majors and for students in any field who want to minor in environmental studies. The semester is sponsored by the USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies and held at USC’s Philip K. Wrigley Marine Science Center on Catalina Island each spring semester. The courses are taught by USC faculty and are specialized to take advantage of the unique facilities and settings of Catalina Island. Students generally enroll in 16 units.Students will live on Catalina Island for the entire semester (with two breaks). Rates for room and board at the USC Wrigley Marine Science Center are comparable to those on campus.
For more information, students should contact their advisors or the USC Wrigley Institute Offices at Allan Hancock Foundation 232 on the University Park campus, (213) 740-6780.