Course Description: Molecular evolution is a modern field of biology that seeks to understand evolutionary processes using molecular and genomic tools. This course introduces fundamental molecular evolution concepts, including sequence evolution models, genome evolution across the tree of life, molecular population genetics, tests of natural selection, and regulatory evolution. Students will explore these concepts through both classic examples and current research studies.
Student Learning Objectives:
Describe the specific molecular mechanisms that drive evolutionary change in DNA sequences over time
Analyze diverse molecular datasets using fundamental evolutionary models
Differentiate among potential evolutionary drivers that shape genetic structure in populations.
Read and evaluate primary research papers in molecular evolution
Integrate modern omics research findings into an evolutionary context
Formulate and defend hypotheses about molecular processes underlying observed patterns in real-world datasets
Course Description: From genomes to ecosystems, big data is transforming how we study life. As the ability to generate large-scale biological datasets expands, so does our need for researchers who can turn information into insight. Applied Bioinformatics provides a hands-on introduction to computational biology and data analysis from a molecular ecological perspective. Students will learn how to access and analyze real-world genetic datasets using modern bioinformatic tools and learning to code in R.
With applications spanning biotechnology, healthcare, agriculture, environmental management, and data science, bioinformatics stands at the forefront of interdisciplinary research. Through authentic research experiences, students will build critical-thinking skills, interpret complex data, and examine broad questions in ecology and evolution.
Student Learning Objectives:
Gain hands-on experience analyzing biological data with modern bioinformatics tools and R programming.
Access, process, and interpret genetic and environmental datasets to investigate ecological and evolutionary questions.
Develop skills in data visualization and scientific communication to clearly present analytical findings.
Explore real-world applications of bioinformatics across ecology, conservation, healthcare, and biotechnology.
"I think what stood out to me most in this course was I got to think about things in a different way than I usually do. Ive taken a couple molecular genetics courses as well as imunobiology and cell biology, so I'm very used to dealing with these concepts on a much smaller level. In this course however, I feel like I was able to learn how to approach problem in biology from a much wider perspective, particularly when comparing different population, and looking at humans specifically, as a lot of other classes focused on various other model organisms. I honestly did not know what to expect from the curriculum in this course when I enrolled in it, however I felt like there was a nice balance of learning the theories behind a lot of the concepts discussed, as well as applying these theories via calculations or other test questions. Thank you for teaching this course, and I think your receptivity to feedback from your students is widely appreciated amongst your students."
"She did an amazing job! Everything was very well thought out, her teaching was easy to understand, and expectations were very clear for homework and exams. 10/10"
"Overall, this course was very interesting, and it was nice that I took it concurrently with MCDB 101A, molecular genetics, because some of the concepts were overlapping, and it helped increase my understanding of both courses. Thank you so much for a great quarter. I really appreciated how you made complex topics easy to grasp and explained everything clearly!
"The course is full of very interesting topics to me, but what I found particularly interesting was all of the practical bits, such as learning how to construct a phylogenetic tree and calculating Tajima's D, which can give us a firm idea of where evolution is going. These are the types of processes that really stick out to me; they truly make me feel like I can take data and then interpret it and communicate it effectively. It also makes me think of honestly how 'mathematical' ecology is, which is always an interesting topic in my opinion. I think it is super helpful that we went over how to properly read a research paper and identify strength and weaknesses. Thank you so much for this course as well, and I hope you have a wonderful 2026 year!"
"Hayley Goss did an amazing job setting the students in this class up for success! Slides and student expectations were clear and she was constantly incorporating student feedback to better the course. I am in my fourth year here, and so far she has been the most approachable and understanding professor I have had. If I had the choice, I would have her teach all of my courses."
"Hayley blew this course out of the water. The materials were relevant and well–designed. The slides, although there were many, were all informative and easy to follow (I liked that they were all in the same style). She explained things comprehensively and had us do knowledge checks to make sure we were actually getting it. The homework was so effective for me to keep up with materials, same with the section worksheets. It never felt like a burden. More students deserve the privilege of learning from her. She was always available to answer questions and was very fair in her testing. I appreciate that she doesn't make things harder to learn than they need to be."
"Knowing that Professor Goss was teaching this class for the first time, I was impressed throughout the quarter by her knowledge, her accessibility through email and office hours, and the commitment she had to helping students learn and understand the material. I have a weak background in Evolution/Genetics as a whole, and I felt that this class was taught really well, and I learned so much more than I had in previous Upper and Lower division Biology Classes. "
"I think what stands out the most to me in this course is how supportive Hayley is when helping students really understand the material and support their learning. Before the last midterm, I was worried I did not understand one concept, and she was very responsive to emails and provided very in-depth explanations of the concept. In her lectures, she does practice problems, which were tremendously helpful because I could see where I went wrong if I did not understand or was getting questions wrong. I am very grateful to have an instructor like her this quarter."
"The academic support stands out to me the most in this course, between section, office hours, and the welcoming of questions during lecture. I really enjoyed the breadth of the content covered in this course which all gave me a better understanding of evolution as a whole. Thank you so much for your support in this class, this was my favorite class I took this quarter."
This was most definitely one of the more interesting upper-division biology courses I have taken. It was especially interesting to learn of all of the novel techniques, methods, hypotheses, and all of the ways in which they connect to the overall topic of molecular evolution. The models (JC69, HKY85, etc.) I found to be a interesting topic, and something I wish I had learned about in another evolution class I took here. Over anything, I most enjoyed lectures, the enthusiasm put into the content and the slides were always captivating and helped me learn all of the new content.