University of Texas at Arlington, Department of Biology · Texas · assistantship · posted today
The Department of Biology at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) is recruiting doctoral students for Fall 2027. All PhD students are guaranteed a full five years of funding, including salary, tuition, and healthcare. Our department spans a wide range of cutting-edge topics and techniques in biological research, with research areas including cell and developmental biology, microbiology, genomics, and ecology and evolution. Our PhD program focuses on training students to apply sophisticated quantitative techniques to solve research problems in these areas, giving our graduates a competitive advantage for careers in industry, government, or academia. Applicants can either apply to single labs (direct entry), or apply to enter the rotation program, which gives students the opportunity to conduct research in three labs before being matched to a lab. Applications are due on December 1, 2026. Applicants should contact faculty and identify potential advisors before applying – you can begin by consulting the list of recruiting labs below. PhD Track in Translational Precision Medicine In addition to our core program, applicants may also apply to a track in which each student focuses on a rare genetic disease. Developed with Cook Children's Medical Center, the track pairs laboratory research on disease mechanisms and models with exposure to specialty clinics, biotech and pharmaceutical partners, and patient advocacy organizations. This track prepares graduates to lead precision-medicine efforts in academia, industry, and advocacy. Fellowships are sponsored by partner foundations. Faculty accepting students in this track are indicated with asterisks*. Recruiting professors include: • Esther Betran (Ecology and Evolution; Genomics): The Betran Lab studies novelty in genomes: how new genes originate, what they do, and how they contribute to genome evolution, adaptation, and differences between species. Using Drosophila as a model, our current projects focus on duplicated genes and on genes and regulatory regions co-opted from transposable elements. • Cara Boutte (Microbiology): The Boutte Lab studies how mycobacteria, including the pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis, build and alter their cell walls under different conditions. Because cell wall regulation under stress leads to antibiotic tolerance, our work helps explain how M. tuberculosis survives infection and antibiotic treatment. • Todd Castoe* (Ecology and Evolution; Herpetology; Genomics): The Castoe Lab studies genome biology and evolutionary genomics: how genomes evolve and function, and how novel or extreme traits arise. We use snakes as models to investigate gene regulatory networks, regeneration, and speciation, and study schistosome parasites to address questions about disease transmission and human health. Our work integrates large-scale population and functional genomic datasets with computational approaches. • Woo-Suk Chang* (Microbiology): The Chang Lab studies soil microbiomes in the context of climate change, working with farmers to implement climate-smart practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions from soybean fields. The lab also studies probiotics and the human gut microbiome, including how fermented soybean products affect gut health and microbiome composition. • Shashank Gandhi* (Genomics; Cell and Developmental Biology): The Gandhi Lab studies how stem cells interpret signals from their surroundings and, in turn, shape their environments to coordinate organ structure and function during embryonic development. We are particularly interested in the neural crest, a remarkable population of migratory stem cells that gives rise to diverse cell types and tissues, including components of the heart, the enteric nervous system, and craniofacial bone and cartilage. By combining genomics, advanced microscopy, and genome and epigenome engineering with chicken and mouse embryos and human stem cell-based models, we seek to uncover how cells communicate, make fate decisions, and work together to build functional organs. • Weiming Li* (Genomics; Bioinformatics; Cell and Developmental Biology): The Li Lab studies how extreme physiological stresses, such as cardiopulmonary bypass and cardiac arrest, reshape cell states, transcription, and the epigenome to drive inflammation and organ dysfunction. We integrate single-cell and spatial transcriptomics, epigenomics, computational biology, and mechanistic experiments in clinically relevant models and human samples, with the goal of improving survival and long-term neurological outcomes for children undergoing critical cardiovascular care. • Daniela Palmer (Ecology and Evolution; Genomics): We are interested in understanding the genetic underpinnings of biodiversity, especially in sex-related traits. We study the evolution of sex chromosomes and other parts of the genome that contribute to sex-specific adaptation. Our research focuses on a group of insects known as treehoppers that show fascinating diversity in morphology, behavior, and beyond. • Mark Pellegrino (Cell and Developmental Biology): The Pellegrino Lab studies how cells recover from mitochondrial stress through the mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPRmt). We investigate the role of the UPRmt in aging, host-pathogen interactions and immunity, and coral stress resistance, using model systems including the nematode C. elegans, the jellyfish Cassiopea xamachana, and mice. • Elena Perry (Ecology and Evolution; Genomics; Microbiology): The Perry Lab studies how bacterial genetic traits and interspecies interactions shape plant microbiome structure and function, combining microbial physiology, ecology, metabolomics, and high-throughput functional genomics. Our themes include how bacteria colonize plants, nutrient exchange within plant microbiomes, and how natural antibiotics produced by soil microbes affect native microbial communities and clinical antibiotic resistance. • Anita Quintana* (Genomics; Cell and Developmental Biology): The Quintana lab seeks to understand the underlying mechanisms by which genetic (pathogenic) variants cause birth defects. We have a specific focus on birth defects that disrupt brain and craniofacial development, including how changes in cholesterol and vitamin B12 metabolism disrupt development and cause disease. Our laboratory uses zebrafish as a model system to study development. Zebrafish are an amazing developmental model because they are fertilized outside of their mother allowing for the visualization of development in real time. • Qing Tang* (Microbiology): Bacterial physiology, pathogenesis, antimicrobial resistance, and host interactions of human pathogens including Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus. We investigate how bacteria respond to stress during antibiotic treatment and infection using biochemistry, microbiology, cell biology, genetics, and omics (spatial single-cell RNA-seq, bulk RNA-seq, proteomics), with both cell-culture and mouse models. • Yoseop Yoon* (Genomics; Bioinformatics; Cell and Developmental Biology): The Yoon Lab studies biomolecular condensates, droplet-like structures in the cell nucleus that shape gene activity by organizing DNA and coordinating when and where RNA is processed. We ask how condensates form, how they regulate the biochemical reactions of RNA processing, and how changes in these structures may contribute to cancer. To apply, and for more information see: https://www.uta.edu/academics/schools-colleges/science/departments/biology/graduate-programs/phd-program About UTA: UT Arlington is an R1-ranked research university, the second largest institution in the University of Texas system and one of the 10 fastest-growing public universities in the nation. We are a Hispanic-serving institution and rank #6 in the nation for ethnic diversity. The Biology Department (http://www.uta.edu/biology) offers access to numerous resources including state-of-the-art labs, an Animal Care Facility, a Genomics Core Facility, the North Texas Genomics Center, the world-class Amphibian and Reptile Diversity Research Center, and the Shimadzu Institute for Research Technologies. These offer extensive and cutting-edge resources for high-throughput sequencing, imaging, proteomics, analytical chemistry, and more. About Arlington: Arlington is situated in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, affording access to numerous restaurants and entertainment opportunities (museums, zoos, aquariums, theatre, music, sports, microbreweries). The city of Arlington alone has 100 public parks, including River Legacy Parks, a 1,300-acre oasis on the Trinity River in the heart of north Arlington. Arlington is the home of the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium, the Texas Rangers’ ballpark, and Six Flags Over Texas. More information on the city of Arlington can be found at (www.arlington.org). Qualifications Fundamental requirements include: • Applicants must have completed their bachelor's degree in biology or a related field by summer 2027. • Strong work ethic and independence • Strong communication and teamwork skills • Excellent English writing and speaking ability.
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