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Department of Biology

Biotechnology Faculty & Research 2020-21

 

Earvin Balderama, earvin@csufresno.edu, Mathematics Dept.

  • Ph.D. University of California, Los Angeles
  • Areas of Expertise and Interest: spatial statistics, Bayesian methods, zero-inflated models. 

Mario Banuelosmbanuelos22@csufresno.edu, Mathematics Dept.

  • Ph.D. University of California, Merced
  • Areas of Expertise and Interest: mathematical biology, optimization, statistical models for genome evolution, data science

Steve Blumenshinesblumens@csufresno.edu, Biology Dept. 

  • Ph.D. University of Notre Dame.
  • Research Activities: Freshwater & estuarine ecology; watershed analysis and human impact; nutrient enrichment on the structure and dynamics of aquatic communities and ecosystems; fish growth and bioenergetics.

Cory Brooks, cbrooks@csufresno.edu, Chemistry Dept.

  • Ph.D. University of Victoria
  • Research Activities: X-ray crystallography and protein engineering; Single domain antibodies for the detection and treatment of Listeria monocytogenes; Structure based engineering of therapeutic antibodies for cancer treatment.

Jason A. Bush, jbush@csufresno.edu, Biology Dept.

  • Ph.D. University of British Columbia
  • Research Activities: Genetics and Cellular Biology; cell culture; molecular and cell biology of cancer progression/metastasis; membrane/cytoskeletal regulation of cell movement; anti-cancer drug treatment; SNP/mutational analyses; comparative/quantitative proteomics and mass spectrometry.

 John Bushoven, jbushoven@csufresno.edu, Plant Science Dept.

  • Ph.D. University of Rhode Island
  • Research Activities: Nitrogen and carbon partitioning in grasses and the development of plant tissue culture methodologies.

 Alejandro Calderón-Urrea, calalea@csufresno.edu, Biology Dept.

  • http://zimmer.csufresno.edu/~calalea
  • Ph.D. Yale University
  • Research Activities: Molecular genetics of programmed cell death (PCD) in plants; Use of PCD in plant biotechnology; PCD during sex determination in plants; Transgenic plant development and plant biotechnology; Biofuels and other metabolites from algae.

Qiao-Hong Chen, qchen@csufresno.edu, Chemistry Dept.

  • http://qchen9.wix.com/csufresno#
  • Ph.D. Sichuan University, China
  • Research Activities: Development of macrolide-based microtubule stabilizing agents for the treatment of multi-drug resistance cancer; Development of improved analogs of dietary natural products for the treatment of hormone-refractory prostate cancer

Kristina Closser, kclosser@csufresno.eduChemistry Dept.

  • https://kclosser.wixsite.com/research
  • Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley.
  • Research Activities: Computational and theoretical chemistry. Electronic excitation and photodegradation mechanisms; focusing on pesticides. Development of methodology for treating reaction critical points.

John V.H. Constable, jconstable@csufresno.edu, Biology Dept.

  • Ph.D. Louisiana State University
  • Research Activities: Plant physiological ecology, resource acquisition and use (carbon and nitrogen), carbon partitioning and allocation, water relations, global climate change and pollution impacts on plant physiological processes.

Laurent Dejean, ldejean@csufresno.edu, Chemistry Dept.

  • Ph.D. University of Bordeaux
  • Research Activities: understanding the mechanisms that underlie and control the release of mitochondrial proteins during both physiological and pathophysiological conditions.

Erin Dormedy, edormedy@csufresno.edu, Food Science and Nutrition Dept.

  • Ph.D. University of Nebraska, Lincoln
  • Research Activities: Intervention methods for the control of foodborne pathogens, food safety and biosecurity, HACCP implementation and validation, development of HACCP intervention methods, food industry outreach and technology transfer

Margaret Ellismaellis@csufresno.edu, Plant Science Dept.

  • Ph.D. Ohio State University
  • Research Activities: improved management of wilt and seedling diseases impacting the California cotton industry; evaluation of new fungicides and biological soil amendments for their management of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum race 4 (FOV4), continued evaluations of selected Pima and Upland cotton germplasm for resistance to FOV4, development of a detection method for FOV4 from contaminated field soil, genetic characterization of FOV4  isolates, and the evaluation of the interaction between FOV4 and Rhizoctonia solani; improvement of determination methods for plant parasitic nematodes of almond; evaluation of survival mechanisms of pathogenic Botryosphaeriaceae fungi of nut and fruit crops under drought conditions; evaluation of fungicide resistance in populations of Botrytis cinerea collected from different fruit crops

Andrew Fiala, afiala@csufresno.edu, Philosophy Dept.

  • Ph.D. University of Wisconsin, Green Bay
  • Research Activities: Bioethics

Dave Goorahoo, dgorraho@csufresno.edu, Plant Science Dept.

  • Ph.D. University of Guelph
  • Research Activities: Nutrient and water use efficiency in vegetable crop production systems. Works closely with research staff of the Center for Irrigation Technology on campus on "Ag-Environ" projects aimed at investigating the interaction between agriculture and the environment, with emphasis on the impact of various agricultural practices on the San Joaquin Valley 's air, soil and water resources

Joy Goto, jgoto@csufresno.edu, Chemistry Dept.

  • Ph.D. University of California, Los Angeles
  • Research Activities: Neurobiochemistry; Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism of environmental neurotoxin exposure and neuronal degeneration; Oxidative stress and metal ion homeostasis; Mammalian neuronal cultures for protein studies of Alzheimer's Disease

Karine Gousset, kgousset@csufresno.edu, Biology Dept.

  • http://zimmer.csufresno.edu/~kgousset
  • Ph.D. University of California, Davis
  • Research Activities: Study and characterization of the role of tunneling nanotubes, a novel mechanism for functional connectivity between cells, in the spreading of viruses, misfolded protein aggregates leading to neurodegenerative diseases, or in the exchange of information in cancer cells.

Morgan J. Hawker, morgan.hawker@csufresno.eduChemistry Dept.

  • http://hawkerlab.weebly.com/
  • Ph.D., Colorado State University., 
  • Research Activities:  Fabricating polymeric materials for biomedical applications, especially those based on natural polymer systems. Plasma modification of soft materials. Developing characterization techniques for soft materials with complex architectures.

Vadim Keyser, vkeyser@csufresno.edu, Philosophy Dept.

  • Ph.D. University of California, Davis
  • Research Activities:  models of reliable measurement in biology, biophysics, and the social sciences

Krish Krishnan, krish@csufresno.edu, Chemistry Dept.

  • http://zimmer.csufresno.edu/~vkrishnan
  • Ph.D. Indian Institute of Science
  • Research Activities: Biophysical Chemistry, Molecular Biophysics, Biomolecular NMR, Computational Biology and Bioinformatics

David Lent, dlent@csufresno.edu, Biology Dept.

  • http://zimmer.csufresno.edu/~dlent
  • Ph.D. University of Arizona
  • Research Activities: Neuroethology and neurobiology; adaptive behaviors and neural plasticity; insect cognition; focus on obtaining novel insights into behavior and neural mechanisms underlying spatial processing, learning and memory, and navigation; investigating how multimodal sensory cues are utilized and integrated; comparative studies of spatial behaviors and corresponding brain structures.

Carmen Licon Cano, cliconcano@mail.fresnostate.edu, Food Science and Nutrition Dept.

  • Ph.D. University of Castilla La Mancha, Spain
  • Research Areas: dairy products development, aroma formation, and composition of dairy products, consumers' perception of food and cheese aromas, behavioral and physiological responses towards food aromas 

Kalyani Maitrakmaitra@csufresno.edu, Chemistry Dept.

  • Ph.D. University of Nevada, Reno
  • Research Activities: building peptidomimetic biomolecules and investigating their potential to function as biomaterial, therapeutics and sensors; design solid-phase bound catalysts for asymmetric allylic alkylation; a two-prong approach to remediation of waster water by growing algae and subsequently screening their oil content for biodiesel

Santanu Maitrasmaitra@csufresno.edu, Chemistry Dept.

  • Ph.D. University of Nevada, Reno
  • Research Activities: Organic chemistry, bio-organic chemistry, medicinal chemistry, green chemistry, infectious diseases, neuro and cardiovascular diseases.

 Hubert Muchalski, hmuchalski@csufresno.edu, Chemistry Dept.

  • http://www.muchalski.net
  • Ph.D. Vanderbilt University
  • Research Activities: developing new reactions and strategies for organic synthesis, free radical-mediated reactions and processes 

 Alija Mujicamujic@csufresno.edu, Biology Dept.

  • Ph.D. Oregon State University
  • Research Activities: mycology and evolutionary biology of mycorrhizal symbioses; systematics, taxonomy, ecology, phylogeography, and evolution of fungi; phylogenomics/phylogenetics, metagenomics, comparative genomics, transcriptomics, and bioinformatics 

Ulrike Muller, umuller@csufresno.edu, Biology Dept. 

  • PhD. University of Groningen
  • Research Activities: Biomechanics of animal locomotion; fish swimming, animal flight, bio fluid mechanics; ontogenetic development of locomotion, biochemical implications of ontogenetic development and niche shifts in aquatic organisms; science communication.

 Steven Paospao@csufresno.edu, Food Science and Nutrition Dept.

  • PhD. Ohio State University
  • Research Activities: food protection and farm hygiene, food safety and quality management.

Miguel Pedroza, miguelp@csufresno.edu, Viticulture and Enology Dept.

  • Ph.D. Enology, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Albacete, Spain
  • Research Areas: Wine chemistry, sensory evaluation of wines

 Larry G. Riley, Jr., lriley@csufresno.edu, Biology Dept.

  • Ph.D. University of Hawaii
  • Research Activities: Vertebrate physiology and endocrinology: Investigating linkages between environmental challenges and the endocrine control of growth, appetite, and metabolism

Joseph Ross, jross@csufresno.edu, Biology Dept.

  • http://zimmer.csufresno.edu/~jross
  • Ph.D. University of Washington
  • Research Activities: Evolutionary genetics and development in Caenorhabditis nematodes, particularly with regard to reproductive isolation and species formation, using molecular, biochemical, genetic and genomic/bioinformatic approaches

Anil Shrestha, ashrestha@csufresno.edu, Plant Science Dept.

  • Ph.D. Michigan State University
  • Research Activities: Integrated vegetation management, vineyard ecology and weed management, weed biology and ecology; crop-weed competition; herbicide-resistance management; environmental aspects of vegetation management, agroecology, and organic farming.

Stephan Sommer, ssommer@csufresno.edu, Viticulture & Enology Research Center

  • Ph.D. Microbiology and Wine Science, Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
  • Engineering diploma, Beverage Technology, Hochschule Geisenheim University, Germany

Rory Telemeco, telemeco@csufresno.edu, Biology Dept.

  • Ph.D. Iowa State University 
  • Research Activities: ecological and evolutionary physiology; thermal biology; global change biology; ecological developmental biology; herpetology

Brian Tsukimura, briant@csufresno.edu, Biology Dept.

  • http://zimmer.csufresno.edu/~briant/
  • Ph.D. University of Hawaii
  • Research Activities: Comparative Physiology, Invertebrate Physiology, Crustacean Biology, Reproductive Endocrinology, Chemical Mediators Regulating Yolk Protein formation, Endocrine disrupters and amphibians, Invasive species

Masaki Uchida, muchida@csufresno.eduChemistry Dept.

  • Ph.D., Kyoto University.
  • Development of new materials for biomedical and catalytic applications through biomimetic and bioinspired approaches. Construction of three dimensional array materials from nanoscale building blocks using self-assembly.

Tricia Van Laar, tvanlaar@csufresno.edu, Biology Dept.

  • Ph.D. University of Texas at San Antonio. 
  • Research Activities:  Antimicrobial resistance/tolerance, persister cells, biofilms, bacterial genetics.

Katherine Waselkov, kwaselkov@csufresno.edu, Biology Dept.

  • Ph.D. Washington University in Saint Louis. 
  • Research Activities:  Molecular plant systematics/ phylogenetics, plant taxonomy, and population genetics; researching the effects of polyploidy on diversity in the genus Phlox and the family Polemoniaceae; and studying the agricultural adaptations of annual weed plants such as Amaranthus and Conyza in the Central Valley.

Hwan Youn, hyoun@csufresno.edu, Biology Dept.

  • http://zimmer.csufresno.edu/~hyoun/
  • Ph.D. Seoul National University
  • Research Activities: Molecular biology, bacteriology; bacterial genetic responses to environmental cues, especially gases; genetic, biochemical and genomic approaches to the roles of bacterial proteins as transcription factors.