Dr. John Mullican has been the Faculty Athletics Representative at Washburn since June 2007 and served as the MIAA FAR Committee Chair from 2021-2023. He was selected to participate as one of two MIAA FARs in the 2024 NCAA FAR Fellows Institute in Indianapolis in Sep 2024. Mullican is Professor and Chair of the
Biology Department who has been on the faculty at Washburn since 1999 and Chair since 2009. Prior to coming to Washburn, Mullican was on the faculty at Creighton University in Omaha.
Mullican is a 1987 graduate of Missouri Western State University (MWSU), where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology with minors in Chemistry and Business. Mullican’s alma mater honored him as a MWSU Distinguished Biology Alumni in 2005 and as a MWSU Distinguished Alumni Award in 2006.
In 1995 Mullican earned his Ph.D. in Molecular Microbiology from the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, NE. Mullican then spent 3 years as an NIH-funded post-doctoral research fellow at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, followed by his one-year position at Creighton.
Aside from teaching courses in introductory biology, cellular biology, molecular biology and genetics, Mullican has supervised more than 85 undergraduate students in research projects at WU, many of who have presented their results at regional and national conferences. Mullican has also been very active on campus serving on numerous committees and participating in many student-related activities.
As Washburn’s Chief Health Professional Advisor, Mullican advises the bulk of Washburn’s pre-medical and other pre-health professional students. Mullican has also served as a faculty advisor for several campus student organizations, including the WU Pre-Health Club. In 2011, Mullican was honored with the Muriel D. Clarke Student Life Award and in 2015 received the inaugural Slater Award for Excellence in Teaching Science.
Mullican can often be seen bicycling through campus and around Topeka training for various cycling events. Mullican also enjoys playing golf when time permits. Mullican and his wife, Melanie, live in Topeka. Their son, Julian, also lives in Topeka and works for BCBS of Kansas.
