Emily Wollmuth

Professor Emily Wollmuth earned a B.S. in Biology and a B.A. in English from Hamline University. She spent a semester studying abroad at the University of York in England. As an undergraduate, she played varsity Division III tennis. She also has experience working as a youth and high school tennis coach. After working as a technical aide at 3M in the biomaterials division and an assistant editor at Springer Nature, she joined the lab of Professor Esther Angert at Cornell University and earned a Ph.D. in Microbiology. She joined the Carthage faculty in January 2024 and guided the launch of a new program in Biotechnology in 2025. 

Prof. Wollmuth’s research is focused in two areas: microbiology and biology education. Her bacterial genomics work examines bacterial species found in the guts of marine herbivorous fish. She uses bioinformatics tools to study the metabolic potential of these bacteria to degrade the complex carbohydrates from the plants in the fish diet. She is also an instructor in the SEA-GENES program in collaboration with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Through this work, she guides students in research that teaches skills in molecular biology, genetic engineering, and microbiology. Her biology education research involves developing and evaluating 3D printed models to teach students about cell and molecular biology concepts. She was awarded a Wagner Fellowship to support this work.

Before coming to Carthage, Prof. Wollmuth was as an instructor for the Cornell Prison Education Program. There, she taught incarcerated students working toward their associate’s degrees. She also promoted gender equity in science through her leadership in Cornell Graduate Women in Science. In addition, she was awarded a fellowship with the Cornell Center for Teaching Innovation to design and lead pedagogy workshops.

• Ph.D. — Microbiology, Cornell University
• B.S. — Biology, Hamline University
• B.A. — English, Hamline University

• BIO 1110 Molecules, Cells, and Organisms
• BIO 2400 Genetics
• BIO 4600 Molecular Biology Techniques
• BIO 4900 Research in Biology
• BTC 2110 Reflections in Biotechnology I
• BTC 2120 Reflections in Biotechnology II