Faculty
Department of Biological Sciences
Susan T. Bagley
Professor Emerita, Biological Sciences
Research Interests
- Environmental Microbiology
- Biofuels
- Bioprocessing
- Environmental Toxicology
Rupali Datta
Associate Professor, Biological Sciences
Links of Interest
Research Interests
- Plant Biochemistry
- Environmental Remediation
- Plant-Microbe Interactions
Links of Interest
Research Interests
- Algal Extracellular Polymers and Biocomposites - Regulation of Biogenesis
Ramakrishna Wusirika
Associate Professor, Biological Sciences
Director, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (BMB) Program
Research Interests
- Plant Molecular Biology and Comparative Genomics
- Plant Growth Promoting Metal Resistant Bacteria and their Role in Phytoremediation, Agriculture and Biofuels
- Bioinformatic and Functional Analysis of Drought Responsive Genes
- Role of Plant Natural Compounds as Anti-Cancer Agents
- Bioinformatic and Functional Analysis of Plant Bidirectional promoters
Thomas Werner
Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences
Links of Interest
Research Interests
- Evolution
- Genetics
- Toxicology
- Developmental Biology
Guiliang Tang
Associate Professor, Biological Sciences
Links of Interest
Research Interests
- Gene Silencing
- RNA Interference (RNAi)
- MicroRNA (miRNA)
- Wheat Germ Extract
- Drosophila Embryo Lysate, Arabidopsis, and other Plant Systems
Xiaoqing Tang
Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences
Research Interests
- Diabetes
- Obesity
- Insulin Production, Secretion, and Signaling
- microRNA and Human Diseases
- microRNA Array Technology
Department of Chemical Engineering
Ching-An Peng
Professor, Chemical Engineering
James and Lorna Mack Endowed Chair in Bioengineering
Graduate Student Advisor, Chemical Engineering
Research Interests
- Drug/Gene Delivery
- Nano/Bio Technology
- Cellular/Tissue Engineering
Department of Chemistry
Tarun K. Dam
Assistant Professor, Chemistry
Links of Interest
Research Interests
- Molecular basis of glycan (carbohydrate)-mediated biological functions
- Glycan binding proteins or lectins
- Glycan detection
- Mechanistic glycobiology
- Macromolecular communication
- Biomolecular thermodynamics
Pushpalatha Murthy
Professor, Chemistry
Research Interests
- Structure, metabolism, and biological role of phosphoinositides in plant cells
- Catalytic and structural aspects of phytases, including specificity of hydrolysis, molecular weight and subunit structure, amino acid sequence, and molecular biology
- Biosynthesis, subcellular localization, and biological role of novel scyllo-inositol containing phosphoinositides
Links of Interest
Research Interests
- Understanding the molecular recognition features and assembly mechanisms of gene regulation
Ashutosh Tiwari
Assistant Professor, Chemistry
Links of Interest
Research Interests
- Protein aggregation diseases
- Consequences of protein misfolding in vitro and how it relates to misfolding in vivo
- Molecular crowding
Department of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology
Qing-Hui Chen
Assistant Professor, Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences
Links of Interest
Research Interests
- Cardiovascular physiology, neurophysiology and exercise science.
- Neural mechanisms of cardiovascular diseases and metabolic disorders.
- Neural mechanisms of exercise training in regulating autonomic and cardiovascular function.
Department of Mechanical Engineering–Engineering Mechanics
Tolou Shokuhfar
Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering–Engineering Mechanics
Links of Interest
Research Interests
- Nanotechnology
- Nanomedicine
- Orthopedic implants
School of Forest Resources and Environmental Sciences
"I consider myself extremely fortunate to live in a time when genome revolution in many areas of biology is enabling unprecedented depth into our understanding of life."
Victor Busov
Associate Professor, School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science
Links of Interest
Areas of Expertise
- Functional genomics of plant development
- Gibberellins metabolism and signal transduction pathway
- Regulation of lateral root formation in relation to abiotic stress
- Regulation and evolution of secondary growth in woody perennials
- Micro and small RNAs regulation of development and response to environment
"Genetic variation is the foundation for the ability of forest trees to adapt environmental changes"
Oliver Gailing
Associate Professor, School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science
Areas of Expertise
- Ecological genetics and genomics
- Population genetics of forest trees
- Conservation genetics
- Genetic mapping and QTL analyses
- Forensic genetics
"Cellulose is the fiber of human civilization."
Chandrashekhar P. Joshi
Department Chair, Biological Sciences
Professor of Plant Molecular Genetics, School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science
Links of Interest
Research Interests, Biological Sciences
- Plant Molecular Genetics
Areas of Expertise, Forestry
- Cellulose and lignin biosynthesis in trees
- Wood formation
- Tree growth and development
- Engineering trees
- Forest bioinformatics
"We are doing excellent job in describing how an individual gene functions, but not how life functions. Systems biology is to fill this gap."
Hairong Wei
Assistant Professor, School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science
Department of Computer Science (Adjunct)
Department of Mathematics (Adjunct)
Links of Interest
Areas of Expertise
- Identification of genes regulating complex traits via systems biology approaches
- Gene expression data analysis
- Gene network construction and decomposition
- Developing software for mining large-scale biological data
- Genomics of wood formation
