Research labs at Florida State University .

Debi Fadool Laboratory

OlfactionIon channelsMetabolic neuroscience

Debra Ann Fadool · Nancy Marcus Professor of Biological Science

Smell may help the brain sense internal metabolic conditions as well as external odors. The Debi Fadool Laboratory investigates this possibility through studies of ion channels and neural signaling. Research examines how insulin, GLP-1, and other signaling molecules change electrical activity, and how diet induced obesity affects the olfactory system. Methods include electrophysiology, nanotechnology, and optogenetics. The group connects sensory neuroscience with questions about diabetes, obesity, and energy regulation. The official neuroscience directory currently lists Fadool as accepting graduate students.

JMIndependently curated · Unclaimed

Evolutionary Psychology Lab

Social psychologyEvolutionary psychologyRelationships

Jon Maner · Distinguished Research Professor

Why do people seek connection, defend themselves, or compete for status? Maner studies the relationships between motivation, emotion, and social thinking using ideas and methods from social and evolutionary psychology. Research addresses romantic attraction and relationship maintenance, leadership and power, and the distinct roles of dominance and prestige. Other interests include social rejection, affiliation, fear, anxiety, and disgust. These projects connect social circumstances with psychological responses. His current faculty page explicitly lists recruitment of a graduate student for fall 2027.

KHIndependently curated · Unclaimed

Hanson Research Group

PhotochemistrySolar energy conversionSpectroscopy

Kenneth Hanson · Cottrell Family Professor

What determines whether an absorbed photon becomes useful chemical or mechanical work? Hanson’s group designs, synthesizes, and characterizes molecules that absorb or emit light. Electrochemical measurements and spectroscopy help connect molecular structure with performance. Research examines energy and electron transfer at interfaces between organic and inorganic materials, molecular interactions with surfaces, and ways to use triplet excited states in polymers that respond mechanically to light. This work brings synthesis and photochemistry together with solar energy conversion and the design of responsive materials.

RBIndependently curated · Unclaimed

Richard Bertram Research Group

Mathematical biologyNeural dynamicsEndocrine cells

Richard Bertram · Tam Family Professor of Mathematics

Hormone secretion and neural signaling often depend on rhythms rather than steady activity. Bertram uses mathematical models, analysis, and computer simulations to investigate those rhythms. His research examines oscillation and synchronization in endocrine cells, including pancreatic and pituitary systems, alongside the neural basis of taste and smell. Techniques include nonlinear dynamics, analysis of processes operating on different timescales, and network science. Collaboration with experimental researchers connects mathematical explanations to biological observations. His neuroscience faculty page states that he is not accepting graduate students.

MSIndependently curated · Unclaimed

Shatruk Research Group

Quantum materialsMolecular magnetismMolecular qubits

Michael Shatruk · Distinguished Research Professor

Magnetic molecules and crystalline solids can support quantum behavior with potential uses in information and sensing. Shatruk’s group synthesizes materials and investigates how their structures relate to magnetic and optical properties. Research includes molecular magnetism, photomagnetism, spintronics, molecular qubits, and intermetallic compounds with unusual spin arrangements. Crystal structure determination is complemented by magnetic measurements, spectroscopy, and theoretical calculations. The work brings inorganic and physical chemistry together in the search for responsive materials and quantum magnets, connecting molecular and solid state structure with functionality.