Newtonian Society Swedes in Stem - Mark J. Margres, '11

This edition of our Alumni Spotlight Series features Swedes in STEM.

Mark J. Margres graduated from Bethany in 2011 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. As a member of the Swede Football Team, he was named Academic All-American in 2009 and 2010, All-Conference, and team captain his senior year. 

In 2016, Margres graduated with a Ph.D. in Biology from Florida State University, where he studied snake venom evolution. From 2017-2019, he was a postdoctoral research associate at Washington State University and Clemson University, where he studied cancer genetics and snake genomics. In 2019, Margres was the Sarah and Daniel Hrdy Fellowship recipient at Harvard University, which serves to support the study of conservation biology within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Here he studied cancer evolution. Since Fall 2020, he has been an Assistant Professor in the Department of Integrative Biology at the University of South Florida, where his lab studies the genomic basis of how animals, namely snakes and Tasmanian devils, adapt to rapidly changing environments. 

The skills and knowledge he learned at Bethany taught him how to think and write critically. "The class sizes at Bethany College, and particularly Professor Mark McDonald's instruction, were key in developing my ability to communicate research and science effectively," says Margres. 

Of his time at Bethany, he is most proud of being accepted into the School for Field Studies study abroad program He was able to spend his last semester working at a biological station in the Wet Tropics region of Australia. “Bethany helped me be competitive, and that program served as the launching pad for my career,” states Margres. 

His advice for current students is to always ask questions. Margres closes by saying, “Science does not advance without us recognizing what we do not know.” 

The Newtonian Society (Math and Science Club) created the Swedes in STEM series to spotlight Bethany College Alumni with a degree in math science. They aim to recognize alumni achievements and provide a valuable resource to students pursuing a degree in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). A display is located outside of Nelson Lecture Hall, highlighting these alumni.