Emily Wollmuth

Professor Emily Wollmuth earned a B.S. in Biology and a B.A. in English from Hamline University. She spent a semester studying abroad at the University of York in England. As an undergraduate, she played varsity Division III tennis. She also has experience working as a youth and high school tennis coach. After working as a technical aide at 3M and an assistant editor at Springer Nature, she joined the lab of Professor Esther Angert at Cornell University and earned a Ph.D. in Microbiology. She joined the Carthage faculty in January 2024.

Prof. Wollmuth’s research is focused in two areas: bacterial genomics and biology education. Her bacterial genomics work examines bacterial species found in the guts of marine herbivorous fish. She uses bioinformatics tools to study the metabolic potential of these bacteria to degrade the complex carbohydrates from the plants in the fish diet. She also studies a group of giant bacteria found in the gut of surgeonfish, Epulopiscium spp., that can reach lengths up to 0.6 mm. Her biology education research involves developing and evaluating 3D printed models to teach students about cell and molecular biology concepts.

Before coming to Carthage, Prof. Wollmuth was as an instructor for the Cornell Prison Education Program. There, she taught incarcerated students working toward their associate’s degrees. She also promoted gender equity in science through her leadership in Cornell Graduate Women in Science. In addition, she was awarded a fellowship with the Cornell Center for Teaching Innovation to design and lead pedagogy workshops.

• Ph.D. — Microbiology, Cornell University
• B.S. — Biology, Hamline University
• B.A. — English, Hamline University

• BIO 2400 Genetics
• BIO 1110 Molecules, Cells, and Organisms