Your support team in science and beyond.
From the moment you step onto campus, we want you to know you’re not alone and that we’re here to guide you throughout your journey in Integrative Biology. The Academic Support Team exists to help you navigate the curriculum and make the most of your time here, offering advice on courses, degree planning, and academic opportunities. We’ve spent countless hours working with students and truly understand the challenges and decisions you face. That experience allows us to give thoughtful, practical guidance tailored to where you are and where you want to go. You’ll also find us right where you spend most of your own time, in the Natural History Building, because we believe being present in your academic space helps us stay connected to your day-to-day experiences.
At the heart of everything we do is a focus on you. We see every student as an individual with unique goals, challenges, and dreams, and we’re committed to meeting you where you’re at. Your success doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s, and we’re here to support and celebrate it in whatever form it takes—whether that’s research, graduate or professional school, launching a career, or simply exploring your passions. We’re one of the few units on campus with an integrated team dedicated to your success, and we regularly reflect on how to make our support even more meaningful. Our role is to be in your corner, helping you navigate the path ahead while encouraging you to dream big and build a future that excites you.
Meet the team ready to help you reach your goals
Allison O’Dwyer
Assistant Director for Academic Affairs, Senior Instructor
aodwyer@illinois.edu
About me
I wear several hats in IB. In addition to directing the MS in IB program, I am a Senior Instructor as well as the Assistant Director for Academic Affairs for the School of Integrative Biology. I also direct the IB Study Abroad program. My background includes research in algal ecology as well as serving as a K-12 Biology educator.
One of the many things I love about my job is working with students to build their experiential learning opportunities so that they can better determine their own definition of success. I am a native gardening enthusiast and enjoy digging in the dirt and exploring the Champaign County Forest Preserves with our two daughters.
Ben Clegg
Teaching Assistant Professor
bclegg@illinois.edu
About me
I am the main instructor of IB 150: Evolutionary & Organismal Biology, which serves as an introductory course to all biology majors at U of I. My main aim in this course is to allow our incoming biology majors a setting to explore their interests, provide a broad foundation in the main fields of biology, and to train them in scientific reasoning skills our graduates need to be successful in the professional world.
I thoroughly enjoy exploring our fascinating biological world with students both in class and in long conversations outside of class. Putting big concepts together and exploring deep connections between different areas of biology with students makes my job deeply enjoyable. Nothing beats seeing a spark of intrigue and understanding in my students' eyes. When I’m not at work, I enjoy hiking, fossil collecting and fossil preparation, native plant gardening, butterfly rearing, and tropical fish breeding.
Christina Swanson
Academic Advisor; Director of Career Connections
sillima2@illinois.edu
About me
One of my favorite quotes starts with “if you could only sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet”
There is no question that each and every one of you makes a difference. My favorite part about being an Academic Advisor and teaching the SIB career courses (IB 392 & IB 592) is helping you figure out what difference it is that you want to be making.
My perfect day would include creating something new that adds value in my own and others' lives, learning something interesting or insightful (or both!), writing in rhyme, and a good cup of coffee.
Outside of work, I love to write (if you also love to write, come join me at the Red Herring Fiction Writers group!), read (especially fantasy, sci-fi, and self-help insights into psychology, philosophy, writing, wellness, compassion, and more!), and hang out with my twin kiddos.
Erinn Dady
Assistant Director of Integrative Biology Merit Program & Academic Advisor
erinnrd2@illinois.edu
About me
Hello! My name is Erinn, and I direct the Integrative Biology Merit Program. Merit courses develop a community of scholars by providing challenging problem sets that students solve together through active participation in teams. Integrative Biology is an interdisciplinary field that examines biological systems through their relation to other disciplines – and our Merit courses embody this collaborative spirit. I am eager to support student success within SIB and across campus.
After returning to school at Parkland College, I was selected to participate in an undergraduate research experience. That opportunity changed the trajectory of my life, and I transferred to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where I earned my B.S in Earth, Society, & Environmental Sustainability and my M.S. in Entomology. During my studies, I enjoyed community-building using science outreach. There are so many wonderful science events around town, including the Mudpuppy Festival, Art of Science, the Bat Festival, Science at the Market, and the ever-popular Insect Fear Film Festival. There are also tons of local art and music events - Boneyard Arts Festival, West Side Arts, Friday Night Live, Ellnora Guitar Festival, and Pygmalion are only a fraction of the offerings. I enjoy discovering new art and music, so feel free to share your latest favorites with me!
Jessica Fink
Senior Academic Advisor
funk7@illinois.edu
About me
Hi! I'm a Senior Academic Advisor for the IB program, and I also support advising for the MS in IB program. I love helping students map out their academic paths in a way that feels exciting, achievable, and not overwhelming, because chasing your career goals shouldn't mean sacrificing your sanity! With a background in student development, I’m especially passionate about creating programs and opportunities that truly reflect what students need. Arguably, next to advising, the most important role I play is supervising our amazing peer leaders which is truly one of my favorite parts of the job!
When I’m not in the office, you can usually find me working on a woodworking project, reading, climbing at one of the local bouldering gyms, or shopping at our local farmers market with my family. I also fully embrace the outdoorsy plant-loving biologist stereotype and am always down to go for a hike or help you propagate a new leafy friend. From advising to real life, I’m all about helping things grow.
Joanne Manaster
Senior Instructor
joannema@illinois.edu
About me
I am an instructor for the School of Integrative Biology whose passion is cell and molecular biology. I have nearly 20 years' experience teaching upper-level laboratory courses for the School of Molecular and Cellular Biology and the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Illinois. More than 15 years ago, I took the plunge into online teaching at the School of Integrative Biology and have never looked back.
Just as students appreciate the flexibility of online teaching, so do I. I enjoy taking challenging, cutting edge concepts and finding ways to make them understandable for students by creating projects and activities that really allow them to dive into the material. It delights me to hear about student research projects and to chat about the latest books everyone is reading. Outside of the university, I am a new grandma, and I love hearing about the work that my four adult children do. Three of them are earth scientists and one is a high school English teacher.
Nicholas Morphew
Senior Lab Coordinator
morphew2@illinois.edu
About me
Hi! I have been a part of SIB for a long time because it is such a great community filled with outstanding people at all levels! I earned my Master's in SIB and am the Senior Lab Coordinator for the school. I am in charge of setting up and running the teaching labs for multiple majors' and non-majors' classes. I also supervise and train the graduate TAs and work with faculty to develop labs that teach useful skills to our undergrads. I am here to support your academic growth and assist the TAs in giving you a meaningful lab experience.
Outside of SIB, I enjoy connecting with my wife and two boys. I love doing anything athletic and following sports (go Chicago everything). I nerd out about forests and hummingbirds. I also coach and broadcast wrestling for Mahomet-Seymour high school and the Illinois High School Association.
Nick Anderson
Lecturer
nlndrsn2@illinois.edu
About me
Hi! I'm a Lecturer in the school and teach a wide variety of courses, including co-teaching our major’s required genetics course, IB 204. Because I teach so many different classes and at different levels, one of my favorite things about my job is observing how our students learn and grow over time. I’m not alone in the AST in saying that we are rooting for you. Your successes bring us so much joy!
Outside of work, I am the co-PI of my most important experiment – raising a kid. The sample size is too small for statistical tests, but she’s significant to me. 😊 I play the guitar, watch college football (Go Irish!) and NBA Basketball (Go Bucks!), and play co-op video games with my brother (always looking for suggestions!).
Tanja Hofmann
Senior Lecturer
thofmann@illinois.edu
About me
Hi everybody! I am a new Senior Lecturer in IB, having relocated from the UK to Illinois in January 2025. I teach Animal Biology (IB104) in Fall and Advanced Tropical Marine Biology (IB496) in Spring. I am also developing an exciting Marine Ecology field course to Honduras, which will run for the first time in Spring 2027. So watch this space!
When I am not at work, I enjoy running, photography, baking and eating out! I also really like reading, virtually all genres, but ideally something that makes me laugh. My absolute favorite thing is travelling, meeting new people from different cultures and exploring wildlife in new places. My first degree is in Marine Biology and diving on a tropical reef system is my perfect vacation.
Ty Noel
Communications Coordinator
tnoel@illinois.edu
About me
Hello! I’m Ty and I handle the communications for SIB. The weekly newsletter you receive, the content on the digital displays and website, and the posts on social media are all handled by me. I love finding new and exciting ways to share the incredible stories that are taking place here in SIB. One of my favorite things about my job is finding innovative ways to promote the wonderful work taking place here.
When I’m not working, I can be a bit eclectic with my hobbies. I love listening to music and going to live shows (punk’s not dead), watching football (Bears to the Superbowl, don’t @ me), playing video games (FromSoft being a favorite), both reading and watching science fiction and horror, and baking (yes, pie is a specialty and yes, it’s because it rhymes with my name). I’m married to a lovely entomologist that graduated from SIB and we’ve got a mini zoo at home filled with two rescue dogs, a corn snake, a crested gecko, and an axolotl.