The Wonder of Why
At LSA, we wonder. We wonder why we are here. We ask how the universe works, and how we organize societies. We all wonder—but the great professors and students use curiosity as a catalyst to find answers to the biggest questions. Wonder begins with a simple “why” and leads to discovery that advances science and society while shaping our world for the better.
The Wonder of Why
At LSA, we wonder. We wonder why we are here. We ask how the universe works, and how we organize societies. We all wonder—but the great professors and students use curiosity as a catalyst to find answers to the biggest questions. Wonder begins with a simple “why” and leads to discovery that advances science and society while shaping our world for the better.
The Wonder of Why
At LSA, we wonder. We wonder why we are here. We ask how the universe works, and how we organize societies. We all wonder—but the great professors and students use curiosity as a catalyst to find answers to the biggest questions. Wonder begins with a simple “why” and leads to discovery that advances science and society while shaping our world for the better.
Breakthroughs in understanding the human experience
Fundamental questions about nature, Earth, and the universe
Unraveling the mysteries of people, society, and relationships
Meet the New Associate Dean for Research
Patricia Wittkopp is Deborah E. Goldberg Distinguished University Professor and Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology as well as Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology at the University of Michigan. Research in the Wittkopp lab uses fruit flies and baker’s yeast to investigate the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying phenotypic differences and examines the evolutionary processes by which they came to be. This includes differences among cell types, among individuals, and among species. The transcriptional regulation of gene expression is emphasized in this work because of its key role in converting genotypes into phenotypes. Molecular and developmental biology, population and quantitative genetics, genomics and bioinformatics are integrated in this work. Patricia Wittkopp received her B.S. from the University of Michigan, PhD from the University of Wisconsin, and performed postdoctoral research at Cornell University. Her research accomplishments have been recognized by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Society of Molecular Biology and Evolution, and the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. She has served the college as chair of the department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from 2020-2023, as Associate Dean for the Natural Sciences from 2023-2025, and stepped into a new role as the Associate Dean for Research in fall 2025.
Larger-than-life research
What happens when technology and humanity collide? There can be significant ethical, identity, and inequality implications. The U-M Digital Studies Institute unites experts from across campus to explore how the digital world impacts the people in it—and those who are left out.
Research STORIES
U-M is an R1 doctoral university, which indicates very high research activity
Public Research University in the U.S.
– National Science Foundation
Students involved in research through the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP)
