Faculty
The training and teaching faculty in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology represent a wide array of research interests.
Our faculty are dedicated to providing top-notch advising and mentorship to our trainees so they are well-equipped to enter successful careers in research, medicine and public health.
Our Biochemistry and Molecular Biology PhD program includes over 30 faculty outside of our Department, in departments across the School of Public Health and the School of Medicine. Visit our PhD program webpage for a full list of the PhD program faculty.
Utthara Nayar, PhD, is a breast cancer biologist who uses functional genomics tools to understand and overcome tumor resistance to targeted therapies.
Vito W. Rebecca, PhD, is a translational molecular biologist who investigates how tumor cells metastasize and escape targeted and immune-therapy, with a focus on acral lentiginous melanoma.
Roza Selimyan, PhD, leads the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department academic programs, where she focuses on connecting science, health, and education.
Fengyi Wan, PhD, dissects the interactions between host cells, the microbiota, and pathogens to understand health and diseases in the colon.
Jiou Wang, MD, PhD, seeks to understand what controls the birth and death of a protein and how the shape and function of DNA and RNA are connected in health and diseases.
Ashi Weeraratna, PhD, studies how cancer cells move to distant sites and how changes in the normal cells around a tumor contribute to their movement, especially as we age.
Barry Zirkin, PhD, is a reproductive biologist involved in studies of the effects of aging and environmental toxicants on testicular testosterone production and spermatogenesis.