Dr. Vander Schaaf joined Olivet’s Biological Sciences department in the fall of 2020. She holds a Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the Van Andel Institute Graduate School, where she investigated the epigenetics of colon cancer. Prior to graduate school, she researched cold-adapted bacteria from Antarctica during her studies at Indiana Wesleyan University.
Now at ONU, Dr. Vander Schaaf teaches lecture courses and labs in Biology, Microbiology, Genetics/Advanced Genetics, and Research in Biology. She loves sharing her enthusiasm for science with students and helping them discover more about God’s handiwork through study of the molecular and microscopic details of his creation. Dr. Vander Schaaf is passionate about scientific research and hopes to begin some new investigations with students at ONU; she is very interested in the areas of environmental epigenetics and disease predisposition.
Outside of science, some of her favorite activities are hiking, biking, baking, and worshipping the Lord through music.
