Academics
Where Your Impact Matters
The department offers graduate work leading to both Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees.
Students interested in the areas of ecology, evolution, and organismal biology should major in one of the following undergraduate programs: biology, environmental science, or genetics.
How to Join EEOB
1) Choose an interdepartmental program major
EEOB faculty are affiliated with a number of interdepartmental programs. When making the decision to attend ISU, and join EEOB, it is important to first determine what interdepartmental program best meets your research and academic interests. Please see below for all the interdepartmental majors available to EEOB students or visit the Graduate College's list of Available Academic Graduate Programs.
2) Find faculty whose research is of interest to you
Once you have decided on an academic program, visit our People page to find faculty affiliated with that program. Select two to three faculty to research further by investigating their areas of expertise and their lab websites. When evaluating faculty, consider if their research interests are compatible with the questions you wish to answer.
3) Contact faculty
If you have located a faculty member in EEOB with whom you wish to work, contact them via email to express your interest in joining their lab as a graduate student. Be sure to include your desired degree, major, and how your research interests aligns with their current work.
There are a number of our affiliated interdepartmental programs, including EEB, which require nomination by faculty during the admission process. In these cases, it is essential to develop a positive and supportive relationship with EEOB faculty prior to submitting your application.
4) Apply for admission
Admission to EEOB is a two or three step process that begins with your Application for Admission. Once your application is received, it will be evaluated by your interdepartmental program. In some cases, like EEB, your application must then be evaluated by EEOB. In order to be admitted, your application must be approved by ISU, your program of choice, and in some instances, EEOB.
Interdepartmental Program Majors
Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (BCB)
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB)
Environmental Science
Genetics and Genomics (IGG)
Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies (IGS)
Plant Biology
Recent Areas of Research
Thesis and dissertation research of current EEOB students include:
- Herbivore effects on plant diversity and methods to improve biological pedagogy
- Abundance and diversity of native bees found on prairie remnants and reconstruction plantings in the Grand River Grasslands
- Temperature-dependent sex determination evolution: Looking at the molecular evolution of sex determining genes and the DNA protein interactions underlying TSD
- Biodiversity in the Iowa biology classroom: teacher approaches, attitudes, and knowledge
- A scaling approach to microbial carbon cycling
- Population genetics of Sri Lankan temperate wood bamboos and phylogenetic relationships among temperate woody bamboo clades
- Sociogenomics of social organization: Mechanistic and evolutionary underpinnings of caste development and facial recognition in paper wasps
- Ant (Formicidae) communities in Iowa tallgrass prairie remnants and restorations
- Success of seeding efforts to enhance emergent community composition in restored agricultural wetlands
Leaders in our Industry
As a future student in the Department of EEOB, you will have the opportunity to work beside more than 20 faculty members and more than 35 fellow graduate students.