Chair: Philip Benfey, Ph.D. The Department of Biology has contributed substantially to a tradition of excellence in the biological sciences at Duke. The Department of Biology offers a variety of programs centered in two major research areas - Developmental, Cellular, and Molecular Biology,and Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology. Graduate student offices and research space are located among faculty offices and labs, creating a supportive community of scholars and researchers.

Studies on the population genetics, ecology, and evolution of plant diseases is an important area of research in Botany. The dark centers of the flowers of white campion are caused by the anther-smut Ustilago violacea, a pollinator-transmitted disease that is being used as a model system for investigating the impact of sexually transmitted diseases on natural populations.

For further information, contact: Director of Graduate Studies Department of Biology Box 90338 Duke University Durham, NC 27708-0338 919-684-3649