James A Murray, Ph.D. Faculty Profile

James A Murray, Ph.D.

Professor

Department of Biological Sciences

E-mail: james.murray@csueastbay.edu
Phone: (510) 885-2367
Office: SC-S 303
Office Hours: see dept website https://www.csueastbay.edu/biology/faculty-office-hours-fall-2024.html

I have been doing biological research since 1987, teaching biology since 1988, and been a professor of biology since 1998. I came to CSUEB in 2008 to teach physiology and related courses.

Courses

Spring Semester 2025
Course #	Sec	Course Title	Days	From	To	Location	Campus
BIOL 270	1A	Human Anatomy & Physio I	M	2:00PM	4:50PM	SC-S346	Hayward Campus
BIOL 270	1B	Human Anatomy & Physio I	M	5:00PM	7:50PM	SC-S346	Hayward Campus
BIOL 270	1C	Human Anatomy & Physio I	TU	8:00AM	10:50AM	SC-S346	Hayward Campus
BIOL 270	1D	Human Anatomy & Physio I	TU	11:00AM	1:50PM	SC-S346	Hayward Campus
BIOL 315	01	Marine Biology	WF	11:00AM	11:50AM	SC-N306	Hayward Campus
BIOL 315	1A	Marine Biology	F	12:00PM	5:00PM	SC-S336	Hayward Campus
BIOL 493	04	Directed Research	ARR			ARR	Hayward Campus

Publications

Publications: (student co-authors are underlined)

(1) Shapiro NS, Choate BA, Huynh MH, Murray JA, Largoza RA, Bautista BM (in revision) The characterization of antifeedant/defensive properties of a Pacific coast opisthobranch Tritonia tetraquetra and its octocoral prey Ptilosarcus gurneyi.

(2) Pollock I, Murray, JA, Yeager B (2017) BrainJam—STEAM learning through Neuroscience-themed game development. Extended abstract In Proceedings of International Conference on Game Jams, Hackathons, and Game Creation Events, San Francisco, CA, 7 pages. DOI: 10.1145/2897167.2897179

(3) Murray JA, Wyeth RC (2015) Introduction to “Chemicals that Organize Ecology: Towards a Greater Integration of Chemoreception, Neuroscience, Organismal Biology, & Chemical Ecology”, a symposium sponsored by the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology, Integrative And Comparative Biology 55(3):444-446 ID: icv089

(4) Sevigny JL, Kirouac LE, Thomas WK, Ramsdell JS, Lawlor KE, Sharifi O, Grewal SS, Baysdorfer C, Curr K, Naimie AA, Okamoto K, Murray JA, Newcomb JM (2015) The mitochondrial genomes of the nudibranch mollusks, Melibe leonina and Tritonia diomedea, and their impact on gastropod phylogeny, PLoS ONE 10(5): e0127519. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0127519

(5) Sumner-Rooney LJ, Murray JA, Cain SD, Sigwart JD (2014) Do chitons have a compass? Evidence for magnetic sensitivity in Polyplacophora. Journal of Natural History 48(45-48): 3033-3045. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2014.959574

(6) ZazayR, Morrison JB, Redondo R, Murray JA (2012) Structure and function of pedal neurons controlling muscle contractions in Tritonia diomedea, Impulse, the Premier Undergraduate Neuroscience Journal. http://www.impulse.appstate.edu/abstract-zazay

(7) Murray JA, Jones AP, Links AC, Willows AOD (2011) Daily tracking of locomotion of the nudibranch Tritonia tetraquetra in nature, and the influence of water flow on orientation, crawling, and drag, Marine and Freshwater Behavior and Physiology 44(5):265-288 (online; DOI:10.1080/10236244.2011.629463)

(8) Murray JA, Cain SD, Estepp JD (2006) Advances in the neural bases of orientation and navigation, Integrative and Comparative Biology 46(6):871-879 (advanced online; doi:10.1093/icb/icl037)

(9) Blackwell JS, Murray JA (2005) Neuronal responses to water flow in the marine slug Tritonia diomedea, Impulse [Online at http://impulse.schc.sc.edu/]

(10) Redondo RL, Murray JA (2005) A single neuron serves a significant role in effecting turning while crawling in the marine slug Tritonia diomedea (Bergh), Journal of Comparative Physiology A [JAM1] 191:435-444 [Online; PubMed 15778839]

(11) Murray JA (2004) Distributing digital video to multiple computers, The Journal of Undergraduate Neuroscience Education (JUNE), Spring, 2(2): A62-A64 [Online at http://www.funjournal.org/]

(12) Beck JC, Murray JA, Willows AOD, Cooper MS (2000) Computer-assisted visualizations of neural networks: expanding the field of view using seamless confocal montaging, J Neurosci Methods 98:155-163 [PubMed 10880829]

(13) Kristan, WB Jr, Skalak R, Wilson RJA, Skierczynski BA, Murray JA, Eisenhart FJ, Cacciatore TW (1996) Biomechanics of hydroskeletons: lessons learned from studies of crawling in the medicinal leech. In, Biomechanics and Neural Control of Movement—9th Engineering Foundation Conference, June 1-6, 1996, Mt. Sterling, OH, USA

(14) Murray JA, Willows AOD (1996) Function of identified nerves in orientation to water flow in Tritonia diomedea. J Comp Physiol A 178:201-209 [PubMed 8592304]

(15) Murray, JA (1994) Neural correlates of orientation to water-flow in Tritonia diomedea. Doctoral dissertation, University of Washington [UW library | Download]

(16) Libersat F, Murray JA, Hoy RR (1994) Frequency as a releaser in the courtship song of two crickets Gryllus bimaculatus (De Geer) and Teleogryllus oceanicus: a neuroethological analysis. J Comp Physiol A 174:485-494 [PubMed 8182564]

(17) Murray JA, Hewes RS, Willows AOD (1992) Water-flow sensitive pedal neurons in Tritonia: role in rheotaxis. J Comp Physiol A 171:373-385 [PubMed 1447725]

Presentations

Recent five years (student collaborators are underlined):

(1) Second International Conference on Game Jams, Hackathons and Game Creation [JM1] Events [San Francisco, CA; February 2017] Brain Jam - STEAM learning through Neuroscience-themed game development, Ian Pollock, James Murray and Beth Yeager (paper & oral presentation)

(2) Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology [New Orleans, LA; January 2017]. Ciliary-driven currents may enhance olfactory sampling in nudibranch gastropods, Ames AM, Murray JA (Poster presentation)

(3) Society for Neuroscience [San Diego; November 2016].Game jam with brain bee: STEAM learning through neuroscience-themed game development, MurrayJA, Pollock I, Leal D, Bobino C, Yeager E, Yao TJ, Hain J, Zib K (Poster presentation)

(4) Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology [Portland, OR; January 2016]. Elucidating the neural circuit involved in chemotaxis in Tritonia tetraquetra, Zacarias S, Murray JA (Poster presentation)

(5) Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology [Portland, OR; January 2016]. How water flow interacts with the olfactory tentacle of the nudibranch Tritonia tetraquetra. Oglesby TL, Murray JA, Cain SD (Poster presentation)

(6) Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology [Portland, OR; January 2016]. No evidence of magnetic sensitivity in Armina californica behavior or in neurons homologous with Tritonia tetraquetra, Schneider WB, Murray JA (Poster presentation)

(7) Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology [West Palm Beach, FL; January 2015]. Behavioral and neural activity during magnetic stimulation of Tritonia tetraquetra imply conditional magnetotactic response, Beron C, Murray J (Slide presentation)

(8) Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology [West Palm Beach, FL; January 2015]. The mitochondrial genomes of the nudibranch mollusks, Melibe leonina and Tritonia diomedea, and their impact on gastropod phylogeny , Sevigny JL, Thomas WK, Ramsdell JS, Sharifi O, Grewal SS, Baysdorfer C, Curr K, Murray JA, Newcomb JM (Poster presentation)

(9) International Congress of Neuroethology [Sapporo, Japan; July 2014]. Loss of scent while following plume results in search-like behavior with little evidence of reliance on geomagnetic cues in the nudibranch Tritonia tetraquetra, Murray JA, Linney MD, Beron C (Poster presentation)

(10) Genomes to Biomes Joint Conference [Montreal, Canada; May 2014]. Orienteering slugs: A potential role for magnetoreception in primarily odourbased navigation by the nudibranch Tritonia diomedea. Wyeth, RC, Murray JA (Slide presentation)

(11) NH-INBRE Annual Conference [Hanover, NH, Aug 3-4, 2014]. The mitochondrial genomes of the nudibranch mollusks, Melibe leonina and Tritonia diomedea and their impact on gastropod phylogeny, Sevigny JL, Thomas WK, Ramsdell JS, Sharifi O, Grewal SS, Baysdorfer C, Curr K, Murray JA, Newcomb JM

(12) Council for Ocean Affairs, Science and Technology-Water Resources Policy Initiative Poster Showcase (Long Beach, CA; March 23, 2014) The Role of Indoleamines In The Cyclical Behavior of Tritonia tetraquetra. Wallace KR, Callaghan M, Murray JA, Bell J (Poster presentation)

(13) Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology [Austin, TX; January 2014]. Loss of scent while following plume results in search-like behavior with no evidence of reliance on geomagnetic cues in the nudibranch Tritonia tetraquetra, Linney MD, Murray JA (Poster presentation)

(14) CSUPERB symposium [January 2013; Anaheim, CA] The detoxification enzyme glutationine-S-transferase (GST) from the digestive gland of the marine gastropod Tritonia diomedea, S. Huang, T. Amagata, Murray JA, M. Sommerhalter (Poster presentation)

(15) Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology [San Francisco, CA; January 2013]. Exploration of the role of indoleamines in the cyclical behavior of Tritonia diomedea, Wallace KR, Callaghan M, Murray JA, Bell J (Poster presentation)

(16) Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology [San Francisco, CA; January 2013]. An investigation of the statocyst sensory system in Armina californica, Gill KP, Rice JL, Murray JA, Cain SD (Poster presentation)

(17) Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology [San Francisco, CA; January 2013]. Distribution of ciliated cells and identification of putative olfactory receptors in a novel chemosensory organ in the nudibranch Tritonia diomedea, Gallagher, CA, Murray JA, Cain SD, Choate BA (Poster presentation)

(18) CSU Biotechnology Symposium (Santa Clara CA; Jan 2012), The characterization of antifeedant/defensive properties of a Pacific coast opisthobranch Tritonia tetraquetra (Bergh) and its octocoral prey Ptilosarcus gurneyi (Gray), NS Shapiro, BA Choate, MH Huynh, JA Murray (Poster presentation)

(19) Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology [Charleston, SC; January 2012]. The characterization of antifeedant/defensive properties of a Pacific coast opisthobranch Tritonia tetraquetra (Bergh) and its octocoral prey Ptilosarcus gurneyi (Gray), NS Shapiro, BA Choate, MH Huynh, JA Murray (Poster presentation)

(20) CSU Biotechnology Symposium (Santa Clara CA; Jan 2012), The marine gastropod Tritonia diomedea expresses different forms of acetylcholinesterase in its hemolymph and in different parts of its central nervous system, V Tran, M Kaur, JA Murray, M Sommerhalter (Poster presentation)

(21) CSU Biotechnology Symposium (Santa Clara CA; Jan 2012), Purification and characterization of the detoxification enzyme glutationine-S-transferase (GST) from the digestive gland of the marine gastropod Tritonia diomedea, S Huang, JA Murray, T Amagata, M Sommerhalter (Poster presentation)

Grants and Awards

(student co-PIs & extramural grants are underlined)
(1) CSUEB Faculty Support Grant, “Mentoring research students in the neural control of behavior” (4WTU)	Fall 2016
(2) CSUEB Faculty Support Grant, “Quantifying gene expression and enzyme activity in the sea slug Tritonia” ($15,542)	Fall 2015
(3) CSUEB Faculty Support Grant, “Mentoring research students in the neural control of behavior” (4WTU)	Fall 2015
(4) Wells Fargo Education Grant, “Game Jam with Brain Bee: STEAM learning through neuroscience-themed game development” ($25,000)	Spring 2015
(5) CSUEB Faculty Support Grant, “Localizing synaptic contacts between sensory and motor structures in the brain of Tritonia diomedea using high-resolution confocal microscopy” ($1500)	Spring 2013
(6) National Geographic Society's Committee for Research and Exploration, “Testing a novel hypothesis for how animals can use the Earth's magnetic field during short-term navigation behaviors” $20,000	2013
(7) Keck Foundation Undergraduate Education Program Grant, Integration of Confocal Microscopy into Science Teaching and Research, ($250,000 from Keck, total project cost $322,713)	2012 – 2015
(8) CSUEB Faculty Support Grant, “Function of a novel chemosensory organ in the sea slug Tritonia diomedea” ($2300)	Spring 2012
(9) CSUEB Faculty Support Grant, “Tangled web: How prey toxins are used by predators for self-protection” ($3065)	Spring 2011
(10) CSU Program for Education and Research in Biotechnology (CSUPERB) (with Drs. Sommerhalter and Amagata), " Chemical Warfare in the Ocean: How the marine slugs prey upon toxic animals", ($15,000)	Spring 2010
(11) CSUEB College of Science Sieber interdisciplinary grant, with Dr. Monika Sommerhalter, "Chemical warfare in the ocean", ($5000)	Winter 2010
(12) CSU COAST Collaborative Incentive Award (with Drs. Sommerhalter and Amagata), "Chemical warfare in the ocean", ($16,009)	Fall 2009
(13) CSUEB College of Science Sieber interdisciplinary grant, with Dr. Shaun Cain, "The neuronal mechanisms of multisensory navigation using an invertebrate model system", ($1200)	Spring 2009
(14) CSUEB Faculty Support Grant, "The neuronal mechanisms of multisensory navigation using an invertebrate model", ($3,021)	Spring 2008
(15) CSUEB Faculty Support Grant, "Do single brain cells control speed & direction of crawling navigation?", ($7,005)	Fall 2007

Service

Professional Service:
Reviewer, Council on Ocean Affairs, Science, & Technology, Grant Development Program	June 2016
Ad hoc reviewer (anonymous), for Global Change Biology journal	May 2016
Education Council Member for the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology	Jan 2015 - 2017

Community Service:
Working Lunch interview & Tabling for high school students; 2017 East Bay STEM Career Awareness Day, 4-27	Spring 2017
Hands On Science Teaching program, 30 middle school students learn about confocal microscopy	Fall 2016
Oakland High School Environmental Science Academy (ESA) outreach, a California Partnership Academy	2015
STEM Career Awareness Day: CSUEB BIOL SCI workshop tabling representative, Emeryville	2015
STEM Career Awareness Day: Science Panel, Berkeley City College	2013
Bay Area Brain Bee annual organizer, judge & CSUEB host for K-12 students and parents	2011 - present
Marine Science Public Outreach- FHL Annual Beach Walk	2010 - present

University & College Service:
Mock Interview Judge for Institute for STEM Education Coaching & Selection of Interns Workshop	Jan 27, 2017
CSUEB Media Expert for Office of University Communications	2016 - present
Faculty Workload Senate Task Force (appointed by Excomm)	2015 - 2017
Faculty Affairs Committee of the Academic Senate (Chair 15-17; member of RTP & Teaching Evaluation subcommittees)	2015 - 2017
Autism subcommittee of Inclusive Education committee	2015 - 2016
Member, Dean of the College of Science Search Committee (hired Jason Singley)	2015

James A Murray, Ph.D. Faculty Profile