Faculty Directory - Department of Biological Sciences

R. CLAUDIO AGUILAR

Associate Professor, Assistant Head

Office: HANS 321

Phone: 765-496-3547

claudio@purdue.edu

Cell, Molecular, and Developmental Biology

JOHN ANDERSON

Professor

Office: LILY 1-223B

Phone: 765-494-4998

andersjn@purdue.edu

(Eukaryotic gene expression) Control of eukaryotic gene expression and replication; DNA structure; virus evolution.

ATHENA ANDERSON

Continuing Lecturer

Office: BRWN 3107C

Phone: 765-494-8528

ander723@purdue.edu

BRUCE APPLEGATE

Associate Professor
Department of Food Science
Courtesy Appointment

Office: Food Science Building Room 3161

Phone: 765-496-7920

applegate@purdue.edu

Detection of viable foodborne pathogens using bateriophage; automatedextraction of nucleic acids from various matrices; enumeration ofmicroorganisms (i.e. pathogens and other organisms) using quantitativePCR;...more

EDWARD BARTLETT

75% Biology, 25% Biomedical Engineering
Associate Professor

Office: MJIS 2023

Phone: 765-496-1425

ebartle@purdue.edu

(Neurobiology and physiology) Central auditory neurophysiology and neuroanatomy at the systems and cellular levels.

XIMENA BERNAL

Assistant Professor

Office: LILY G-347

Phone: 765-494-0127

xbernal@purdue.edu

My interests lie at the interface between behavior, evolution and ecology. My research focuses on animal communication. I address questions about signal function and evolution by performing experiments within a naturalistic context.

JEFFREY BOLIN

Professor
Associate Vice President for Research CoS

Office: HOCK 133

Phone: 765-494-4922

jtb@purdue.edu

(Structural molecular biology; biochemistry) Protein structure and function; X-ray crystallography; metalloenzymes; biodegradation of PCBs and related compounds.

C DAVID BRIDGES

Professor

Office: LILY 1-230

Phone: 765-494-8153

bridgesc@purdue.edu

(Biochemistry; physiology) Biochemistry and physiology of the visual process; evolution of vision; transport and utilization of vitamin A in the body; genes for retinoid-binding proteins, hereditary retinal degenerations.

SARAH CALVE

Asst. Professor in Biomedical Engineering
Courtesy Appointment

scalve@purdue.edu

IGNACIO CAMARILLO

Associate Professor

Office: HANS 131A

Phone: 765-494-0172

ignacio@purdue.edu

(Endocrine physiology) Hormonal regulation of mammary gland development; hormone binding protein function.

NICHOLAS CARPITA

Professor in Botany and PlantPathology
Courtesy Appointment

carpita@purdue.edu

LEIFU CHANG

Assistant Professor

Office: HOCK 129

Phone: 765-494-0748

lchang18@purdue.edu

Dr. Chang combines cryo-EM and biochemical reconstitution approach to understand the molecular mechanism of large protein complexes, focusing on those in cell cycle regulation.

HENRY CHANG

Associate Professor

Office: LILY 2-223

Phone: 765-494-0394

hcchang@purdue.edu

(Cell and developmental biology) Membrane trafficking; molecular genetics; cell polarity; development; signal transduction.

MARK CHRISTIE

75% Biology, 25% Forestry and Natural Resources
Assistant Professor

Office: LILY G-337

Phone: 765-494-2070

markchristie@purdue.edu

I am a molecular ecologist and evolutionary biologist. Much of my research focuses on conservation genetics, kinship and parentage analyses, gene expression, and population genetics. Whenever possible,...more

ALEXANDER CHUBYKIN

Assistant Professor

Office: LILY 2-235

Phone: 765-496-0064

chubykin@purdue.edu

neural circuits in mouse vision, synaptic plasticity, optogenetics, neurotechnology and autism

WILLIAM CRAMER

Henry Koffler Distinguished Professor of Biological Sciences

Office: HOCK 325

Phone: 765-494-4956

waclab@purdue.edu

Structure/function of alpha-helical and beta-barrel membrane proteins involved in photosynthetic electron transport and energy transduction; structure-function of receptors involved in protein (specifically colicins) import.

LASZLO CSONKA

Professor

Office: HANS 327A

Phone: 765-494-4969

csonka@purdue.edu

(Microbiology) Adaptation to osmotic stress, regulation of thermotolerance, mechanism of transcriptional regulation of Mg²⁺ genes in Salmonella enterica.

MENG CUI

25% Biology, 75% Electrical and Computer Engineering
Assistant Professor

Office: WANG 2063

Phone: 765-494-5486

mengcui@purdue.edu

Neurophotonics, In vivo imaging, High-throughput and high-quality imaging, Drug discovery, Wavefront engineering.

RUPA DE

Continuing Lecturer

Office: LILY 2-234

Phone: 765-494-8147

rde@purdue.edu

Continuing lecturer.

QING DENG

Assistant Professor

Office: LILY G-231

Phone: 765-494-0423

qingdeng@purdue.edu

neutrophils, microRNA, cell migration, microbial-host interaction and zebrafish

ANDREW DEWOODY

Professor of Genetics, Department of Forestry and Natural Resources
Courtesy Appointment

Office: FORS 108

Phone: 765-496-6109

dewoody@purdue.edu

Evolutionary genetics; molecular ecology and evolution; natural history; conservation biology; wildlife and fisheries management.

BRIAN DILKES

Biochemistry
Associate Professor of Biochemistry
Courtesy Appointment

Office: WSLR Room B036B

Phone: 765-494-2584

bdilkes@purdue.edu

Plant Genetics

JEFFREY DUKES

25% Biology, 75% Forestry and Natural Resources
Professor Forestry and Natural Resources, Biological Sciences

Office: PFEN 221A

Phone: 765-494-1446

jsdukes@purdue.edu

(Global change ecology) Responses and feedbacks of terrestrial ecosystems to climate and atmospheric change; Biodiversity and biological invasions

DAVID EICHINGER

40% Biology, 60% Curriculum & Instruction
Associate Professor

Office: WTHR 221B

Phone: 765-494-0711

deich@purdue.edu

(Science education) Professional preparation and development of both elementary and secondary teachers; collaborative problem solving and its role in the teaching and learning of science; the nature of science in science education and its importance for both teachers and students.

DONNA FEKETE

Professor
The John and Donna Krenicki Directorship of Integrative Neuroscience

Office: LILY 2-224

Phone: 765-496-3058

dfekete@purdue.edu

(Neuroscience and Developmental Biology) Development of the inner ear; Zika virus infection of the brain and inner ear

ESTEBAN FERNANDEZ- JURICIC

Professor

Office: LILY G-325

Phone: 765-494-6044

efernan@purdue.edu

Behavioral Ecology, Sensory Ecology, Conservation Ecology
Evolution of the visual system in vertebrates
Antipredator, foraging, and mating behaviors
Human-wildlife interactions
Applied sensory ecology

ALAN FRIEDMAN

Associate Professor

Office: LILY G-343

Phone: 765-494-5911

afried@purdue.edu

(Structural biology) Structural cell biology of infection, immunity, and aging.

STEPHANIE GARDNER

Assistant Professor

Office: LILY 2-226

Phone: 765-496-2936

sgardne@purdue.edu

1) Evaluating the long-term impact that research-based introductory biology lab experiences have on biology students, 2) Understanding student and expert reasoning when creating graphical representations of biological data, 3) Understanding student mechanistic reasoning in physiology and neuroscience

STANTON GELVIN

Edwin Umbarger Distinguished Professor of Biology

Office: HANS 339

Phone: 765-494-4939

gelvin@purdue.edu

(Plant molecular biology) Mechanism of the transfer to and expression of the Agrobacterium tumefaciens Ti-plasmid in plant cells.

BARBARA GOLDEN

Professor of Biochemistry
Courtesy Appointment

Office: BCHM 22

Phone: 765-496-6165

barbgolden@purdue.edu

Structural Basis for RNA function.

MICHAEL GRIBSKOV

Professor

Office: HOCK 331

Phone: 765-494-6933

gribskov@purdue.edu

(Computational Systems Biology; Bioinformatics) Computational analysis of biological networks and the macromolecular components that they comprise. My interests range from the relationship between...more

S. SELCEN GUZEY

25% Biology, 75% Curriculum & Instruction
Assistant Professor

Office: BRNG 4160

Phone: 765-494-9749

sguzey@purdue.edu

My research is focused in two areas: integrated STEM education and technology integration into biology classrooms. I am currently working on two research projects supported by the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health.

PETER HOLLENBECK

25% Biology, 75% Provost office
Professor and Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs

Office: LILY 2-237

Phone: 765-496-3378

phollenb@purdue.edu

(Neurobiology) Intracellular organelle transport in neurons.

WEN JIANG

Professor

Office: HOCK 131

Phone: 765-496-8436

jiang12@purdue.edu

(single particle cryo-EM, electron crystallography, electron tomography, biophysics) Structure of viruses, macromolecular complexes, and nano-particles; technique developments in cryo-EM for structural determination of macromolecular machines at atomic resolutions; image processing and 3-D reconstruction; computational biology

ANDREA KASINSKI

Assistant Professor

Office: BIND 292

Phone: 765-496-1658

akasinski@purdue.edu

(Cancer and Molecular Biology) Identifying roles for microRNAs in cancer development and progression and using this knowledge for clinical applications.

DAISUKE KIHARA

60% Biology, 40% Computer Sciences
Professor

Office: HOCK 229

Phone: 765-496-2284

dkihara@purdue.edu

(Bioinformatics, computational biology) protein tertiary structure prediction/comparison, protein-protein docking, protein-ligand docking, protein function prediction, protein sequence analysis, metabolic/regulatory pathway analysis.

STEPHEN KONIECZNY

Professor and Interim Head, Department of Biological Sciences

Office: LILY 1-118

Phone: 765-494-4407

sfk@purdue.edu

(Eukaryotic molecular biology) Gene expression during mammalian development; cancer model systems.

SHIHUAN KUANG

Professor of Animal Sciences
Courtesy Appointment

Office: SMITH 174B

Phone: 765-494-8283

skuang@purdue.edu

Research area: (Cell and developmental biology) Stem cells and tissue homeostasis, regeneration of skeletal muscles, adipose tissue plasticity and obesity

RICHARD KUHN

The Trent and Judith Anderson Distinguished Professor in Science,
Department of Biological Sciences
Krenicki Family Director, Purdue Institute of Inflammation, Immunology and Infectious Disease

Office: HOCK 225

Phone: 765-494-1164

kuhnr@purdue.edu

(Molecular biology and animal virology) Viral gene expression; virus-host interactions; pathogenesis; virus receptors and virus assembly.

JASON LANMAN

Assistant Professor

Office: HOCK 227

Phone: 765-496-3815

jlanman@purdue.edu

Virus assembly occurs in the complex environment of the cell and is dependent upon viral and cellular components being properly correlated in time and space. Our goal is to use newly developed methods...more

YUK FAI LEUNG

Associate Professor

Office: LILY 2-236

Phone: 765-496-3153

yfleung@purdue.edu

(Development and Disease) Drug discovery for retinal degeneration

XIAOQI LIU

Biochemistry
Professor of Biochemistry & PCCR
Professor Biochem/Cancer Rsr
Associate Professor of Biochem/Cancer Rsr
Courtesy Appointment

Office: BIND Room 290

Phone: 765-496-3764

liu8@purdue.edu

Roles of Polo-like kinase 1 and its interacting proteins in cell proliferation and carcinogenesis

JEFFREY LUCAS

Professor

Office: LILY G-339

Phone: 765-494-8112

jeffrey.r.lucas.1@purdue.edu

(Evolutionary ecology; behavioral ecology) Animal Communication, sensory ecology, hearing and call complexity in birds, use of dynamic game theory in animal behavior

ZHAO-QING LUO

Professor

Office: LILY 1-233

Phone: 765-496-6697

luoz@purdue.edu

(Infection and Immunity) Intracellular multiplication and trafficking of bacterial pathogens and host response to bacterial infection.

ANGELINE LYON

25% Biology, 75% Chemistry
Assistant Professor

Office: BROWN 3130C

Phone: 765-494-5291

lyonam@purdue.edu

Cardiovascular disease is a growing problem worldwide and the leading cause of death in the United States. Phospholipase C (PLC) enzymes, in particular PLCβ and PLCε, are essential for...more

SEEMA MATTOO

Assistant Professor

Office: LILY G-227

Phone: 765-496-7293

smattoo@purdue.edu

(Biochemistry, Signal Transduction, and Microbiology) Investigation of Fic domain containing proteins in Cellular Signaling.

Post-translational modification of proteins is a common theme in signal...more

MAUREEN MCCANN

Professor, Director of the Energy Center, Discovery Park

Office: HANS 301A

Phone: 765-496-1779

mmccann@purdue.edu

(Plant cell and molecular biology; genomics) Plant extracellular matrix and cell differentiation

GORDON MCNICKLE

Assistant Professor
Courtesy Appointment

Office: Lilly Hall Room 1238

Phone: 765-494-4645

gmcnickle@purdue.edu

ANDREW MESECAR

10% Biology, 90% Biochemistry
Walther Professor in Cancer Structural Biology
First Deputy of Director of the Purdue University Center for Cancer Research
Department of Biochemistry Department head

Office: HOCK 311

Phone: 765-494-1924

amesecar@purdue.edu

DENNIS MINCHELLA

50% Biology, 50% College of Science
Professor
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education, College of Science

Office: LILY 1-122

Phone: 765-494-8188

dennism@purdue.edu

(Population biology; genetics) Host-parasite coevolution; influence of parasitism on host life-history patterns; molecular ecology and genetics; genetic diversity of parasite populations

NICHOLAS NOINAJ

Assistant Professor

Office: HOCK 333

Phone: 765-496-0061

nnoinaj@purdue.edu

MATTHEW OLSON

Assistant Professor

Office: HANS 309

Phone: 494-1254

olson126@purdue.edu

The immune system is comprised of a variety of cell types that work in a highly organized fashion to protect the body from infection and minimize tumor formation. This organizational process is...more

WILLIAM PAK

Emeritus

Office: LILY 3-219

Phone: 765-494-8202

wpak@purdue.edu

(Molecular neurogenetics) Signal transduction; synaptic transmission.

PERISTERA PASCHOU

Associate Professor

Office: LILY 1-225

Phone: 765-494-1601

ppaschou@purdue.edu

NANCY PELAEZ

Associate Professor

Office: LILY G-224

Phone: 765-496-3261

npelaez@purdue.edu

(Physiology) Vascular smooth muscle physiology and signal transduction, physiology and evolution, physiology education.

SCOTT PLUTA

Assistant Professor

Office: Lilly 1-227

spluta@purdue.edu

Research in my lab focuses on elucidating the neural mechanisms underlying sensory perception, sensory-guided behavior, and sensorimotor loops. We use cutting-edge optogenetic, neurophysiological, viral tracing and behavioral tools to probe the functional connectivity of neural circuits underlying sensation and action.

CAROL POST

Distinguished Professor of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology

Office: HOCK 127

Phone: 765-494-5980

cbp@purdue.edu

(Structural biology; computational chemistry and biology) Signal transduction; viral protein structure and function; molecular recognition; enzymatic catalysis; protein dynamics; NMR structure determination.

YUAN (ALAN) QI

Associate Professor of Computer Science
Associate Professor of Statistics
Courtesy Appointment

Office: LWSN 1207

Phone: 496-9370

alanqi@cs.purdue.edu

Machine learning, computational biology, and Bayesian statistics

DONALD READY

Professor

Office: LILY 2-231

Phone: 765-494-4975

readyd@purdue.edu

(Biology; developmental neurobiology) Cellular, molecular, and genetic studies of Drosophila retinal development.

ESTUARDO ROBLES

Assistant Professor

Office: Lilly B-129

Phone: 765-494-8413

roblese@purdue.edu

Neuroscience, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology

ARTHUR ROSEN

Professor

Office: LILY 3-305

Phone: 765-496-2098

rosena@purdue.edu

(Neurophysiology, membrane physiology, biophysics) Ion channel function.

MICHAEL ROSSMANN

Hanley Distinguished Professor of Biological Sciences;
National Academy of Science

Office: HOCK 231

Phone: 765-494-4911

mr@purdue.edu

(Molecular biology; biophysics) Structure of picornaviruses (rhinoviruses, Mengo virus, coxsackievirus, poliovirus), parvoviruses, alphaviruses and bacteriophages, fX174, f29, T4; molecular evolution.

CHRISTIE SAHLEY

Professor; Associate Head and Office of the Provost

Office: LILY 2-232

Phone: 765-494-0487

sahley@purdue.edu

(Neurobiology) Cellular and molecular analysis of learning; cellular response to neural injury.

DAVID SANDERS

Associate Professor

Office: LILY 1-228

Phone: 765-494-6453

retrovir@purdue.edu

(Molecular virology) Entry of retroviruses and other enveloped viruses into cells; mechanism of enzymatic phosphoryl transfer.

CATHERINE SEARLE

Assistant Professor

Office: LILY G-331

Phone: 765-496-0062

searlec@purdue.edu

Disease ecology, community ecology, host-parasite interactions, freshwater biology

MOHAMED SELEEM

Associate Professor
Department of Comparative Pathobiology
Courtesy Appointment

Office: Lynn 1298

Phone: 765-494-0763

mseleem@purdue.edu

LOUIS SHERMAN

Professor

Office: LILY G-235

Phone: 765-494-8106

lsherman@purdue.edu

(microbiology) Photosynthetic membranes - structure, function, and assembly in cyanobacteria; functional genomics and impact of environmental factors on photosynthesis; analysis of global regulation with microarrays; regulation of photosynthesis and N₂-fixation in unicellular cyanobacteria.

CHRISTOPHER STAIGER

10% Biology, 90% Botany and Plant Pathology
Biology Distinguished Professor and Botany and Plant Pathology Department Head

Office: HANS 335

Phone: 765-496-1769

staiger@purdue.edu

(Plant cell/developmental biology) Cytoskeletal function during plant development and cellular morphogenesis; cytoskeletal response to environmental signals and host-cell response to microbes.

CYNTHIA STAUFFACHER

Professor and Associate Head

Office: HOCK 327

Phone: 765-494-4937

cstauffa@purdue.edu

(Biophysics; molecular biology; biochemistry) Macromolecular structure and assembly using X-ray crystallography; membrane associated proteins; enzyme structure and function.

DANIEL SUTER

Professor

Office: LILY 2-239

Phone: 765-496-1562

dsuter@purdue.edu

(Cell biology; neurobiology) nervous system development, advanced light microscopy, neuronal growth cone motility and guidance, cell adhesion and migration, cytoskeletal dynamics, signal transduction, biomechanics