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Molecular and Cellular Biology MS/PhD Program Faculty
Program Directors
Lake is a cellular and molecular immunologist who is working on biologic inhibitors of tumor cell metastasis. He is also developing a new test for Valley Fever that provides a diagnosis for patients with acute disease.
Wilson-Rawls' research focuses on understanding the regulation of cell fate during development and regeneration with an emphasis on skeletal muscle stem cells and gametogenesis.
Molecular/Cellular Biology (PhD)
The PhD program in molecular and cellular biology prepares students for careers that span traditional disciplinary...
Program Faculty
Professor of Molecular Sciences at ASU. Allen's current research interests are in biophysics and biochemistry with a focus on the role of proteins in energy and disease.
Amdam is a Norwegian biologist who is internationally known for her research on behavior and aging in honey bees.
Dr. Anderson is a tumor biologist who studies how the immune system can be harnessed to detect and alter cancer development.
Baluch oversees the W.M. Keck Bioimaging Laboratory in the School of Life Sciences. Her research is focused on studying the behavior of cells and tissue using advanced microscopy techniques.
Bean applies bioanalytical chemistry methods to characterize microbial metabolomes and identify biomarkers of lung disease.
Blattman is an immunologist who studies how the immune system responds to vaccination and viral infection.
Buetow is a human genetics and genomics researcher who leverages computational tools to understand complex traits such as cancer, liver disease, and obesity.
Cadillo-Quiroz studies how microbes participate in ecosystem and applied processes.
Capco is a cell biologist who studies how different types of cells in the human body relate to disease, illness, and birth defects.
Caplan’s research focuses on molecular cooperativity in drug targeting, bio-sensing, and cell signaling. Current themes: local drug delivery, endothelial dysfunction in diabetes and cooperative DNA diagnostics.
Cartwright is a geneticist who develops computational and statistical methodologies to explore evolutionary questions.
Chang is an immunologist who studies the development and function of the immune system and uses DNA nanostructure to design and construct more useful vaccines and immunotherapeutic agents.
Chen is a professor of biochemistry at ASU. His research interests are in structure and function of RNA molecules and ribonucleoprotein complexes.
Chen is a molecular biologist who specializes in developing novel human therapeutics and vaccines in plants to combat infectious diseases, cancer, and biological warfare agents.
Conrad's research interests include studies on the neurobiology of chronic stress, sex differences in neuroplasticity following chronic stress, and links between stress and depression or anxiety disorders.
Deviche is an animal physiologist who studies how the environment controls the reproductive system and stress responses of vertebrates.
Rebecca Fisher's primary appointment is at the UA COM-Phoenix, where she designed the anatomy curriculum. Fisher studies the functional anatomy and evolution of the musculoskeletal system in vertebrates and cephalopods.
Frasch has developed new assays to examine the rotation of single molecules of molecular motor proteins under a microscope.
Fromme is the Paul V. Galvin Professor and director of the Center for Applied Structural Discovery at the Biodesign Institute. Her research is on structural biochemistry and biophysics of membrane proteins.
Garcia-Pichel is the Director of the Center for Applied and Fundamental Microbiomics. He studies the roles, adaptations and impacts of microbes in natural environments, from desert soils to shallow marine waters.
Gaxiola studies the physiological mechanisms by which plants regulate root activity and nutrient uptake. His work may be used to engineer crops that could help secure future food supplies.
Gile is an evolutionary microbiologist who studies single-celled eukaryotes (protists) and symbiosis.
The Harris lab uses genetic, molecular and imaging techniques to explore the genetics that underlie regeneration, and how we can improve the ability to repair and re-grow tissues after they're damaged.
Haydel is an infectious disease microbiologist investigating new antibiotics to fight resistant infections, new technologies to diagnose infections in less than 2 hours, and how bacteria cause disease in humans.
Hayes' research interests include enzyme-based electrochemistry, sinusoidal electrochemistry, fluorimetry, in vivo analysis, and millisecond flow stream switching.
Helms Tillery is a neuroscientist who is particularly interested in how the brain learns to use sensory information in the control of skilled motor tasks.
Hogue is a virologist who studies how coronaviruses, a large family of RNA viruses, that includes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), assemble and cause disease.
Ian Hogue is a virologist who studies how alpha herpesviruses, including human Herpes Simplex Virus 1 (HSV-1), infects the nervous system.
Dr. Huentelman's research interests center around the investigation of the “-omics” (genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics) of neurological traits and disease.
Jacobs is an expert on a poxvirus called vaccinia. He has genetically engineered vaccinia as a vehicle against infectious agents, bioterrorism threats, cancer and other viruses, including HIV.
Prof. Jensen is a population geneticist who develops theory and statistical methodology for describing and quantifying evolutionary processes in both natural and experimental populations.
Johnston work focuses on innovative solutions to fundamental problems in biomedicine, including the development of a universal preventative cancer vaccine. He holds 20 patents.
Dr. Jurutka is an endocrinologist applying molecular medicine approaches to elucidate fundamental questions in human health/disease including work on: nutraceuticals, cancer, IBS, drug discovery and neurobiology of vitamin D.
Katsanos is an exercise physiologist studying metabolic responses in humans. His laboratory utilizes stable isotope tracer and molecular biology techniques to understand muscle protein and fat metabolism in obesity.
Krajmalnik-Brown's lab uses microbiological skills, genomic techniques and environmental engineering to study biodegradation of water contaminants, biotechnology for renewable bioenergy production and the gut microbiome.
Kuang is the author or co-author of more than 150 refereed publications. He has done extensive work in applying delay differential equation to models of biology and medicine.
Dean of natural sciences and professor in the School of Life Sciences in The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Kusumi's research focuses on vertebrate genomics.
Lake is a cellular and molecular immunologist who is working on biologic inhibitors of tumor cell metastasis. He is also developing a new test for Valley Fever that provides a diagnosis for patients with acute disease.
Laubichler is a complex systems scientist, theoretical biologist and historian of science. He is director of the School of Complex Adaptive Systems and the Global Biosocial Complexity Initiative at ASU.
Mor is a molecular biologist and biochemist whose research focuses on using plants to produce useful and therapeutic polypeptides, proteins and enzymes.
Efrem Lim studies the role of the virome in human health and disease. His expertise is in the microbiome in mother-infant health and SARS-CoV-2.
Lindsay is director of the Center for Single Molecule Biophysics in the Biodesign Institute at ASU, a Regents and University Professor and Nadine and Edward Carson Professor of Physics and Chemistry.
Lynch's research focuses on mechanisms of evolution at the gene, genomic, cellular, and phenotypic levels, with special attention being given to the roles of mutation, random genetic drift, and recombination.
Maienschein and her team research embryology, genetics, and cell biology. She specializes in the history and philosophy of biology and the way biology, bioethics and bio-policy play out in society.
Maley is a biologist who specializes in cancer, evolution and computational biology. He works at the intersection of these fields.
Honing in on the intersection of stem cells, diet and cancer, Mana's research focuses on how various diets, ranging from high-fat to calorie restriction, impact stem cells and create vulnerabilities.
Mangone is interested in study how eukaryotic RNA transcription is terminated and how the messenger RNA is regulated on its way to the expression into proteins, using the wound worm C. elegans as model system.
Hugh Mason was the first to publish peer-reviewed work on the use of plants for production of vaccine antigens.
Grant McFadden directs the Biodesign Center for Immunotherapy, Vaccines, and Virotherapy (B-CIVV) at ASU. The McFadden lab studies how poxviruses that cause immunosuppression interact with the host immune system.
Rajeev Misra is a microbial geneticist who studies how proteins, synthesized in the cytoplasm, are targeted to the bacterial outer membrane. He also examines the mechanisms of drug resistance.
Moore is Regents Professor whose research has contributed to development of the field of artificial photosynthesis.
Moore is a Regents Professor. He and his colleagues collaborate on research in artificial photosynthesis.
Neisewander's research contributes to understanding the development and treatment of drug addiction and provides new knowledge of mechanisms involved in emotional processing, and learning and memory.
Dr. Newbern's research is centered on developmental neuroscience. His laboratory studies the biochemical mechanisms that direct the formation of the brain and spinal cord.
Cheryl Nickerson studies the effects of biomechanical forces on living cells, how this response is related to normal cellular homeostasis or infectious disease, and its translation to clinical and biotechnology applications.
Nielsen's research interests include developing microbial platforms and biotechnologies to convert renewable resources into useful fuels and chemicals.
Susanne Pfeifer is a computational evolutionary biologist who studies genetic and evolutionary processes by combining large-scale, high-throughput sequence data analysis, model-based statistical inference, and modeling.
Pratt studies the emergence of complex behavior in leaderless groups, especially social insects. He works with engineers to translate lessons from biology to artificial systems, and to develop new tools to analyze behavior.
Presse is a joint professor in the Department of Physics and School of Molecular Sciences at ASU. His research focuses on biophysics and dynamic processes.
Rawls is an associate professor of genomics, evolution and bioinformatics in the School of Life Sciences and executive director of clinical partnerships in the Office of the University Provost.
Redding is Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry in the School of Molecular Sciences at ASU. His current research interests are in structure/function studies of photosynthetic reaction centers and other related areas.
Renaut’s recent research is focused on the design and analysis of computational algorithms for solving problems arising mainly in medical and geophysical applications.
Rittmann is director of the Biodesign Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology. He is an international leader in the use of microbial communities to provide services to society.
Jason Robert is Dean's Distinguished (Associate) Professor in the Life Sciences.
Dr. Romanovsky works with Zharko Pharma and other pharmaceutical startups to develop drugs for treating thermoregulation disorders and hot flashes .
Geiler-Samerotte is an assistant professor in the Center for Mechanisms of Evolution and School of Life Sciences. Her lab investigates how basic features of cells influence the way those cells can evolve.
Todd Sandrin serves as vice provost of ASU's West campus, dean of the New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, and professor in the School of Mathematical and Natural Science focusing on microbial biosignatures.
Yixin Shi’s research is focused on molecular biology, bacteriology and biochemistry. Shi analyzes the virulent elements necessary for bacterial survival in host environments.
Shock has appointments in the School of Molecular Sciences and School of Earth and Space Exploration and is director of the W. M. Keck Foundation Laboratory for Environmental Biogeochemistry at ASU.
Shrivastava uses biology, physics, and bioinformatics to find factors that shape spatial structure of the microbiome. His lab aims to find how changes in the microbiome correlate with the occurrence of diseases.
Sierks research interests include antibody based therapeutics for treating neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzeimer's and Parkinson's Diseases.
Smith is a behavioral neuroscientist studying learning and memory systems in both insects and mammals. His work is being applied to studies of human diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
Snyder-Mackler's research sits at the nexus of the social environment and the genome.
Stabenfeldt leads her research team in developing regenerative medicine strategies for acute neural injury. Her expertise areas include regenerative medicine, targeted theranostics and neurotrauma.
Stone's specialization and main area of interest is anthropological genetics. Her current research focuses on population history and understanding how humans and the great apes have adapted to their environments.
Taylor is a theoretical population geneticist who uses mathematical models to explore evolutionary processes. He is especially interested in the biology of soil mites in the Madrean sky islands of Arizona and Sonora.
Torres is a leader in microbial electrochemical cell research, focusing on microbial kinetics of anode-respiring bacteria (ARB) and extracellular electron transport to and from solid electrodes.
Tyler's primary research and development interests focus on developing and applying noninvasive neuromodulation methods and devices intended to optimize human performance and brain health.
Varsani is a molecular virologist who works across ecosystems from plants to animals and from the tropics to polar regions.
Vermaas and his team conduct basic and applied research on cyanobacteria, a group of photosynthetic microbes, using these organisms as a chassis to produce useful compounds (biofuels, green chemicals) from sunlight and CO2.
Wachter is professor with the Center for Bioenergy and Photosynthesis at ASU. Her research and teaching interests include protein biochemistry, physical biochemistry, and biological chemistry.
Wang's research efforts include understanding synthetic multistable gene networks, the role of noise in cell differentiation, and molecular evolution, and systems biology research on small network motifs with feedbacks.
Wang is an applied microbiologist, working at the interface between microbial genetics and metabolic engineering to develop new microbial production processes.
Webber is a professor of molecular and cellular biosciences and also serves as executive director in the Office of the University Provost where he oversees University Accreditation and Academic Program Reviews.
Wideman strives to understand the emergence of complexity in eukaryote evolution. Using comparative genomics and cell biological approaches he reconstructs features of the last eukaryotic common ancestor.
Wilson is a computational evolutionary biologist studying sex-biased processes including human and non-human health and disease.
Wilson-Rawls' research focuses on understanding the regulation of cell fate during development and regeneration with an emphasis on skeletal muscle stem cells and gametogenesis.
Martin Wojciechowski is an evolutionary biologist who studies plants, with an emphasis on the genomics, biogeography, and phylogenetics of legumes (family Leguminosae) and cacti (family Cactaceae).
Woodbury is a professor in the School of Molecular Sciences and co-founder of the company HealthTell. His research ranges from protein dynamics to immunosignaturing and photosynthetic systems.