Timothy S McMahan, MS
Instructor, Biology
School of Science Core Lab Manager

Education

MS

2020, Biology
University of Louisiana Monroe

BS

2017, Biology
University of Louisiana Monroe

Biographical Sketch

I accepted a full-time faculty position at the University of Louisiana Monroe (ULM) in July of 2021, where I am both a biology instructor and the Core lab manager for the School of Sciences. I was fortunate enough to graduate from ULM in May of 2020 with my Masters degree and to be hired as an adjunct at ULM the following semester. After a year, I was hired full-time! I am also fortunate that this is also the town I was born and reared, so family is close by. In the past two years, I have continued to improve my teaching by completing two micro-credentials through the Association of College and University Educatory (ACUE). In August 2022, I was given the role of lab coordinator for the introductory Biology lab offered to science majors at ULM. I enjoy volunteering my time in various capacities at ULM by participating in committees that seek to better teaching and course design in the University and at the ULM Museum of Natural History, where I act as a tour guide and resident light microscopy expert.

Research Interests

Most of my research experience is within the field of molecular biology and biotechnology. While a graduate student at ULM I researched the protozoan parasite Giardia lamblia. Our research group was working towards understanding the mechanism of translation initiation within this model Eukaryote. Currently, I manage the Core lab facilities that house instrumentation related to molecular biology and biotechnology research.

Additionally, the past two years I have been a part of conducting a Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience, or CURE, within the introductory biology lab at ULM. Our students researched the effects of common environmental pollutants on Bayou ecosystems using microcosms. These small ecosystems were created using resources from Bayou DeSiard that runs through ULM's campus. The aim of the CURE was to improve student's understanding and appreciation for the scientific method while highlighting important biological concepts related to ecology, microbiology, and molecular biology.

Recent Publications

Adedoja, A. N., McMahan, T., Neal, J. P., Dhakal, S. H., Jois, S., Romo, D., Hull, K., Garlapati, S. (2020). Translation initiation factors GleIF4E2 and GleIF4A can interact directly with the components of the pre-initiation complex to facilitate translation initiation in Giardia lamblia (pp. 111258). Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology/Elsevier.

Courses Taught

BIOL 1001LIVING WORLD, 4 course(s)

BIOL 1020PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY I, 1 course(s)

BIOL 1021PRINCIPLES BIOLOGY I LAB, 17 course(s)

BIOL 2015INTRO MICRO LABORATORY, 5 course(s)

Timothy S McMahan, MS Instructor, BiologySchool of Science Core Lab Manager