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.
Name | Title Sort descending | Overview |
---|---|---|
Vito Rebecca | Assistant Professor | 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. |
Utthara Nayar | Assistant Professor | Utthara Nayar, PhD, is a breast cancer biologist who uses functional genomics tools to understand and overcome tumor resistance to targeted therapies. |
Danfeng Cai | Assistant Professor | Danfeng Cai, PhD, combines advanced microscopy, genomics, and proteomics to tease out the functions of protein condensates in cells, with a focus on cancer. |
Brittany Jenkins-Lord | Assistant Professor | Brittany Jenkins-Lord, PhD, MPH ’20, MS, is a molecular cancer biologist who investigates the relationships between socio-environmental risk factors and tumor biology in diverse populations. |
Tao Zhang | Assistant Scientist | |
Rachy Abraham | Assistant Scientist | |
Dongqing Xu | Assistant Scientist | |
Yash Chhabra | Assistant Scientist | |
Jennifer Kavran | Associate Professor | Jennifer Kavran, PhD, MS, MPhil, is a biophysicist who investigates how cells communicate with each other and their environment. |
Terry Brown | Professor - Emeritus | |
Floyd Bryant | Professor | Randy Bryant, PhD, studied mechanistic enzymology and now trains future scientists and public health leaders in the classroom, teaching biochemistry, and mentoring students. |
Valeria Culotta | Professor | Val Culotta, PhD, examines the role of free radicals and micronutrients in the battle between host and pathogen during fungal infections. |
Sharon Krag | Professor - Emeritus | |
Michael Matunis | Professor | Michael Matunis, PhD, studies how protein modification by SUMO—the small ubiquitin-related modifier—drives changes in key cellular pathways from stress response to DNA repair. |
Paul Miller | Professor - Emeritus | |
William Wright | Professor - Emeritus | |
Barry Zirkin | Professor - Emeritus | Barry Zirkin, PhD, is a reproductive biologist involved in studies of the effects of aging and environmental toxicants on testicular testosterone production and spermatogenesis. |
Jiou Wang | Professor | 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. |
Ashani Weeraratna | Professor | 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. |
Erika Pearce | Professor |