Biology

Ogden College of Science and Engineering is pleased to announce that Dr. Doug McElroy will serve as the next Chair of the Department of Biology at Western Kentucky University.

Dr. McElroy grew up in Baltimore and was a first-generation college student. He earned his bachelor’s degree in marine science from Southampton College of Long Island University. He went on to earn his M.S. and Ph.D. in Zoology from the University of Maine and served as a postdoctoral fellow at Arizona State University.

His areas of interest and training are in evolutionary biology and multivariate statistics. Dr. McElroy’s research has included questions related to genetics and speciation in African cichlid fishes, morphometrics and conservation of desert fishes, analysis of population genetic data, and, most recently, predictors and outcomes related to cardiovascular disease.

Since joining the WKU community, Dr. McElroy has taught nearly two dozen different biology courses and has served on the committees of over 50 graduate and Honors CE/T students. He has generated 37 peer-reviewed publications that have included 49 different WKU undergraduate and graduate students as coauthors.

Dr. McElroy also spent 22 years in academic administration at WKU, including positions as Director of the University Honors Program and Assistant/Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs. He currently serves as a WKU representative on the Joint Executive Oversight Committee for the UK College of Medicine – Bowling Green Campus and is a research advisor for the Western Kentucky Heart and Lung/Med Center Health Research Foundation and Educational Trust.

Dr. McElroy said, as Chair, he hopes to “move the already-strong department forward by helping build clear links between students’ coursework and career and professional opportunities, supporting continued growth of our graduate program and associated research productivity, and ensuring that WKU Biology offers a comfortable, respectful, and mutually supportive environment for our students, faculty, and staff.”

Dr. David Brown, Dean of Ogden College of Science and Engineering said, “Dr. McElroy brings considerable leadership experience to his new role.  As a department, Biology is home to diverse research interests that span from the laboratory to the field.  Among students, Biology is one of our largest majors and is a critical part of the education of any student pursuing a career in one of the many areas related to health.  It will be good to have Dr. McElroy's steady hand at the helm of this department.”

Dr. McElroy’s appointment as Chair is effective July 1, 2024.