Professor; Director, CORD
CH19 503
(205) 934-5198
Research and Teaching Interests: Learning and memory, blood pressure control, polyphenols, inquiry-based education
Office Hours: By appointment
Education:
- B.S., Concordia University
- M.Div., Lutheran School of Theology
- Ph.D., Washington University in St. Louis
- Postdoctoral Fellow, Washington University in St. Louis
Dr. J. Michael Wyss (b. 1948), Professor (Cell Biology, Medicine, Neurobiology and Psychology) and Director (Center for Community OutReach Development), completed his undergraduate studies in neurobiology at Concordia College, Indiana (B.S., 1970), and received a Ph.D. in neurobiology from Washington University (St. Louis) in 1976. During his postdoctoral studies at Washington University School of Medicine he applied cell biological methods to elucidate the role of the limbic cortex in behavior and autonomic control, and has continued to expand this research at Birmingham (1979-present). His work on the central control of the autonomic nervous system has propelled him into the studies of the neurocellular mechanisms controlling arterial pressure.
Dr. Wyss has published 300 scientific publications on three major areas 1) midline brain structures and their involvement in learning and memory, 2) neural mechanisms that regulate chronic blood pressure, and 3) polyphenols and their contribution to health and disease. His teaching efforts revolve around learning and memory and K-14 science education. He holds several NIH, NSF and Department of Education grants to improve STEM education in the Southeast.
Outside of the laboratory he enjoys swimming, soccer and photography.