Shana Geffeney

Shana Geffeney is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at Utah State University, specializing in molecular physiology and evolutionary genetics. Her research focuses on voltage-gated sodium channels and mechanisms of tetrodotoxin resistance in animal lineages.

• PhD in Biology, Utah State University (2005)
• MS in Biology, University of Oregon (1997)
• BA in Biology, University of California Santa Cruz (1992)

Geffeney investigates physiological and molecular mechanisms of toxin resistance, with a particular emphasis on ion channels. Her work combines evolutionary biology, biophysics, and computational modeling to understand how animals adapt to neurotoxins. Additional research interests include sensory transduction mechanisms in invertebrates and ion channel partnerships in neural signaling.

Recent publications analyze tetrodotoxin binding in sodium channels, convergent evolution of resistance mechanisms, and mechanosensory transduction. Her work spans ecological physiology, neurotoxicology, and computational biology.

• Postdoctoral Fellowship, Helen Hay Whitney Foundation (2007)
• Postdoctoral Fellowship, Stanford University School of Medicine (2006)
• Dissertation Fellowship, Utah State University School of Graduate Studies (2003)

Geffeney teaches undergraduate courses in human physiology and organismal biology, and has developed course-based undergraduate research experiences (CLURE) to enhance student learning in biology education.