Department of Animal Science
College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Dr. William Murdoch
Professor
Reproductive Biology
B.S., Delaware Valley College, Doylestown, PA
M.S., West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV
Ph.D., West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV
wmurdoch@uwyo.edu • (307) 766-3293 • Rm. 408
Research Interests:
Mechanisms and pathobiology of ovulation. A long-standing objective of my research has been to delineate the cellular and molecular mechanisms of ovulation. During the course of our studies we have discovered that inflammatory mediators and reactive oxidants generated during periovulatory events inflict potentially mutagenic damages to the DNA of ovarian surface epithelial cells circumjacent to the site of follicular rupture. Our premise is that clonal expansion of an epithelial cell with unrepaired DNA (caused by a predisposing defect in a tumor suppressor function) is an initiating factor in the etiology of ovarian malignancy. The goals of this research are to identify prospective points of fertility regulation and anticancer therapy.
Teaching:
ANSC 4120 Mammalian Reproduction
The University of Wyoming has earned its Research Level 1 (R1) status from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, placing Wyoming's only four-year university with the top research universities in the United States.