Faculty & Staff

Department Co-Chairsblondgirl_purp_150

Staff

  • Jeff Oda, Lab Manager (415) 422-4403
  • Andy Huang, Tech. Ops. Manager (415) 422-6419
  • Kian Razi, Program Assistant (415) 422-6755
  • Kathleen Arnolds, Instrument Specialist (415) 422-6004

Faculty

Tel:415-422-6755
chienp@usfca.edu

Paul Chien

Professor

Prof. Chien is interested in the physiology and ecology of inter-tidal organisms. His research has involved the transport of amino acids and metal ions across cell membranes and the detoxification mechanisms of metal ions.

Tel:415-422-4707
abcorl@usfca.edu

Ammon Corl

Assistant Professor

Prof. Corl's graduate research focused on studying the behavior altering effects of alcohol (ethanol) on the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. One major focus of his project was to examine how specific genes contribute to the alcohol response in Drosophila, and how mutations of these particular genes could cause fruit flies to become more resistant, or more sensitive to, the intoxicating effects of alcohol.

Tel:(415) 422-5481
jadever@usfca.edu

Jennifer Dever

Associate Professor

Professor Dever studies the genetics of threatened and/or endangered populations of vertebrates, including crocodiles and foothill yellowlegged frogs. She employs molecular markers to assess the genetic structure of these populations, with the goal of species conservation.

Tel:(415) 422-2831
karentzd@usfca.edu

Deneb Karentz

Professor

Dr. Karentz is a marine biologist with expertise in ultraviolet photobiology and plankton ecology. Much of her work has focused on the physiological and ecological consequences of Antarctic ozone depletion.

Tel:(415) 422-5704
kingle@usfca.edu

Leslie King

Instructor

Prof. King's graduate research focused on hemoglobin-oxygen affinities in adult and fetal swell sharks (Cephaloscyllium ventriosum) and she participated in field studies of shark behavior and feeding in the Bahamas. She maintains an active interest in shark reproduction and behavior.

Tel:(415) 422-4478
cklai2@usfca.edu

Cary Lai

Assistant Professor

As a graduate student, Professor Lai performed a biochemical and structural analysis of the enzyme telomerase. Following graduate school, he worked in early-stage research at Genentech where he investigated the Hedgehog signing pathway and its role in tumorigenesis. Most recently, Prof. Lai served as the head of commercial operations at the biotechnology start-up company LakePharma.

Tel:(415) 422-2354
niles@usfca.edu

Mary Niles

Professor

Prof. Niles is interested in the regulated development of B-lymphocytes, a population of cells critical to adaptive immunity. Her research focuses on defining the molecular events that promote the assembly, transport, and secretion of antibodies.

Tel:(415) 422-5645
nunes@usfca.edu

Scott Nunes

Associate Professor

Prof. Nunes is interested in questions at the interface between physiology, behavior, and ecology. His studies have examined hormonal and energetic regulation of dispersal, play, and parental behaviors in mammals.

Tel:
schulzp@usfca.edu

Patricia Schulz

Professor Emeritus

Prof. Schulz, PhD is studying cell development in the reproductive structures (ovules and anthers) of flowering plants using the techniques of electron microscopy and cytochemistry.

Tel:(415) 422-6367
jsikes@usfca.edu

James Sikes

Assistant Professor

Professor Sikes is interested in the evolution and development of regeneration and asexual reproduction in invertebrates, particularly marine and freshwater flatworms. Current research focuses on understanding developmental mechanisms that allow some flatworms to regenerate and the molecular developmental processes that lead to diversification of asexual reproductive strategies.

Tel:(415) 422-5470
jspencer@usfca.edu

Juliet Spencer

Associate Professor

Prof. Spencer studies herpesviruses and the mechanisms these viruses employ to evade host defenses and establish lifelong latency. The current emphasis is investigating the function of viral cytokines, chemokines, and chemokine receptors encoded by human cytomegalovirus.

Tel:(415) 422-6276
stevens@usfca.edu

Gary Stevens

Professor

Prof. Stevens' research centers around small mammal demography and environmental monitoring. His studies have included research in the Arctic, California, and Papua New Guinea.

Tel:(415) 422-5975
sullivan@usfca.edu

John Sullivan

Professor

Prof. Sullivan investigates the role of the molluscan immune system in responding to parasitic infection and foreign tissue transplants. He is specifically interested in the interaction between the schistosome parasite, a major cause of human disease, and the snail intermediate host.

Tel:415-422-5555
brthornton@usfca.edu

Brian Thornton

Assistant Professor

Professor Brian Thornton is interested in the molecular control of cell division in eukaryotes. His past research has focused on cell division in the budding yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, through the application of genetic, biochemical, and cell techniques to study the role of the Anaphase Promoting Complex in the cell cycle.

Tel:(415) 422-6820
ctzagarakis@usfca.edu

Christina Tzagarakis-Foster

Associate Professor

Prof. Tzagarakis-Foster studies the transcription factor, DAX-1, which is a member of the nuclear hormone receptor family and is linked to the human disease X-linked Adrenal Hypoplasia Congenita (AHC). Specifically, her research explores the role of DAX-1 in human development as well its involvement in the initiation of breast cancer.