Biology Faculty

Mary Allen is a microbiologist with interests in microbial community composition and factors that influence biofilm formation and persistence. She is currently conducting research projects on the microbial community colonizing cones of the hops plant, Humulus lupulus, which are used in brewing beer, and on the effects of spices on biofilms.  Mary also directs students in collaboration with Hartwick’s Center for Craft Food and Beverage on projects to improve testing services provided for regional and national craft food and beverage producers.

Peter Fauth is a broadly trained, field biologist who studies the behavior and demography of threatened populations and communities. He is currently conducting forest, bird and odonate inventories at nearby Robert V. Riddell and Gilbert Lake State Parks.

Doug Hamilton is a molecular plant biologist using current molecular techniques in various projects involving plants, bacteria, and fungi.

Mark Kuhlmann is a marine and aquatic field biologist with interests in the behavioral, population, and community ecology of invertebrates and fishes. He is currently conducting research projects on the behavioral and population ecology of crayfish in local streams and research on octopus in the Bahamas.

My research interests include developmental and cytogenetic studies in amphibians, especially salamanders, including evolutionary cytogenetics and genomics, genome size, limb and organ regeneration, and amphibian deformities.  Recent work has involved international collaborations with colleagues in Japan, Slovenia, England, Russia, and Canada. Current research includes cytogenetics and limb developmental evolution in Asian hynobiid salamanders, genetics, cytogenetics, and developmental evolution of cave adaptations in the European blind cave salamander (Proteus anguinus), and genome size evolution and its phenotypic correlates in salamanders, especially Neotropical plethodontids.

Linda Swift is a physiologist with interests in medical physiology, medicinal plants and prevention of malnutrition in remote villages in Asia. She is currently conducting research to obtain data from tribal children 0-5 years of age. Her research topics include: growth stunting, incidence of anemia, protein deficiency, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, incidence of parasites, infections from water quality, and lack of motor skill development. All of her research involves student collaboration.

Munir Syed is a Doctor of Medicine with M.Phil. in Medical Microbiology. He taught Clinical Pathology at his alma mater, Khyber Medical College, Peshawar before immigrating to United States. Besides other biology courses, he primarily teaches Microbiology of Disease and Pathophysiology to nursing majors at Hartwick College. Munir Syed also teaches online Pathophysiology during J Term and summer sessions.