Faculty Profile
Milton Muldrow
Dean, College of Sciences and Engineering
College of Sciences and Engineering
(302) 356-6835
Assistant Professor
Ph.D., George Mason University
M.S., University of Missouri - St. Louis
B.S., Saint Francis University
Biography
Dr. Milton Muldrow is Dean of the College of Science and Engineering at Wilmington University, where he provides academic leadership across the sciences, mathematics, computer science, engineering, and interdisciplinary STEM programs. His work spans scientific research, science policy, and institutional development, with a particular focus on how complex biological and social systems respond to stress, change, and constraint.
Dr. Muldrow earned a B.S. in Biology from Saint Francis University and an M.S. in Biology from the University of Missouri–St. Louis, where he was supported by a National Science Foundation Graduate STEM Fellowship. His early research examined tropical forest restoration in the Florida Keys, focusing on ecological recovery processes and the long-term consequences of environmental management decisions.
He subsequently spent nearly five years at the National Science Foundation, serving in analytical and programmatic roles that provided direct exposure to national research priorities, federal funding mechanisms, and the translation of scientific knowledge into policy and practice. This experience continues to inform his work at the intersection of research, governance, and institutional strategy.
Dr. Muldrow earned a Ph.D. in Environmental Science and Public Policy from George Mason University. His doctoral research examined shifting baseline syndrome in coral reef conservation, empirically exploring how scientists’ perceptions of environmental change influence research agendas, conservation targets, and policy outcomes. This work contributes to interdisciplinary scholarship on cognition, institutional memory, and the social dynamics of environmental science.
Building on this foundation, Dr. Muldrow’s current research integrates genomics, stress biology, and evolutionary theory to investigate regulatory failure in coral reef systems under environmental stress. His work includes the development of a long-read reference genome for Exaiptasia diaphana (Aiptasia), a key model organism for coral–symbiont biology, and the formulation of a regulatory framework linking NAD⁺ metabolism, sirtuin signaling, and cellular stress responses to bleaching dynamics. This research bridges coral biology with broader questions in stress regulation, aging biology, and systems collapse, using modern computational and AI-enabled structural tools alongside experimental approaches.
In parallel with his research, Dr. Muldrow serves as Associate Director of NASA Delaware Space Grant, where he supports student research, mentorship, and externally funded STEM initiatives. His work with Space Grant and related programs emphasizes building sustainable research pipelines, integrating undergraduate training with active scholarship, and strengthening institutional capacity for applied and workforce-aligned research.
Dr. Muldrow is also the author of Synthetic Biology: Life’s Extraordinary New Worlds , a best-selling Audible audiobook that explores emerging biotechnologies and their scientific, ethical, and societal implications. Across his scholarly, administrative, and public-facing work, his interests center on regulation and resilience in complex systems, the interface between science and policy, and the role of interdisciplinary research in addressing long-term environmental and societal challenges.