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Department of Biology

Advisory Board 

Industry Representatives

Rhonda A. Newman, Ph.D.
Senior Director, Sample Preparation R&D, Thermo Fisher Scientific
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhonda-newman-5276667/ 
https://www.thermofisher.com/us/en/home.html 

Justin Costa, Ph. D.
Staff Scientist, 10x Genomics
https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-costa-ms-ph-d-1878969a/ 
https://www.10xgenomics.com/ 

Guoping Feng, Ph.D. 
Director of Food Safety, Olam Food Ingredients
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ping-guoping-feng-ph-d-81004921/ 
https://www.ofi.com/ 

CSU Fresno Faculty Representatives of the Advisory Board:

Alejandro Calderon-Urrea, Professor of Biology, Department of Biology

Christopher R. Meyer, Dean, College of Science and Mathematics

Jason Bush, Associate Dean, College of Science and Mathematics

Krish Krishnan, Department Chair, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Industry Partners


The PSM degrees provide "science plus" graduate level education. It is designed to prepare a workforce with advanced science and professional training. These programs are receiving national recognition as the best way to prepare the science/technology work force. There are now over 239 PSM degrees across the U.S., approximately one third of them are biotechnology degrees. Fresno State has been a pioneer in the development and implementation of PSM degrees.

Since 1988, the Biotechnology Program at California State University, Fresno has been educating students with the skills and knowledge to enter the diverse and ever-changing demands of the biotechnology industry. For the last two decades, the Biotechnology Certificate Program has been preparing students for mid-and-advanced level careers both locally and nationally. The Professional Science Master's in Biotechnology was established at Fresno State in 2005, offering students a two-year professional degree. The council of graduate schools approves this degree.

The program was designed in collaboration with industry to meet the current and future needs of the biotechnology industry. Our goal is to be a regional and state resource for the biotechnology industry for workforce and research needs. Our graduates are:

  • Interdisciplinary scientists. Students receive advanced training at the cutting-edge interfaces of science and technology.
  • Excellent communicators. Students receive "science-plus" training in business management, writing, and presentation skills. This prepares graduates to serve as the liaison between corporate research groups and business administration, or to handle the jobs in either group.
  • Innovative problem-solvers. Research and Internship opportunities train students to address challenges and opportunities in the real world.

INDUSTRY OPPORTUNITIES

We have established the following programs for partnership with the biotechnology industry. These include:


We have also identified five ways that you and/or your company get involved in the program. These include sharing your expertise and experience with the campus community, posting employment opportunities, serving on committees, and donating to financial needs.