Degree Programs Offered: Master of Science, Doctor of Philosophy

Director of Graduate Program: Professor Richard W. Padgett, Nelson Biology Laboratories, Busch Campus (732/445-3430)

Members of the Graduate Faculty

Cory Abate-Shen, Professor of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, UMDNJ-RWJMS/CABM; Ph.D., Cornell Medical College
Molecular processes that control gene expression in vertebrate development and oncogenesis

Stephen Anderson, Associate Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, FAS-NB; Ph.D., Harvard
Proteases and protease inhibitors; protein folding; molecular recognition; structural bioinformatics

Bruce S. Babiarz, Professor of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, FAS-NB; Ph.D., Cincinnati
Early mammalian development, implantation; mammalian developmental genetics

Mark Brenneman, Assistant Professor of Genetics, FAS-NB; Ph.D., Baylor DNA repair and recombination and their role in genome stability

Gary Brewer, Associate Professor of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., Auburn
Posttranscriptional control of gene expression in disease

Steven Brill, Associate Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, FAS-NB; Ph.D., SUNY (Stony Brook)
Eukaryotic DNA replication and genome stability

Salvatore J. Caradonna, Associate Professor and Chairperson of the Department of Molecular Biology, UMDNJ-SOM; Ph.D., SUNY (Buffalo)
Molecular biology of human DNA repair; interactions with cell cycle control elements

Kiran K. Chada, Professor of Biochemistry, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., Oxford
Developmental gene expression in transgenic mice

Kuang Yu Chen, Professor of Chemistry, FAS-NB; Ph.D., Yale
Biochemistry and function of polyamines and hypusine-containing eIF-5A, cancer biology; transcription factors and cellular senescence

Suzie Chen, Associate Professor of Chemical Biology and Pharmacognosy, EMSP; Ph.D., Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Transgenic mice predisposed to melanoma development; molecular merchant of adipocyte differentiation; uu-inducible genes

Xuemei Chen, Associate Professor of Genetics, WIM/FAS-NB; Ph.D., Cornell
Molecular genetic analysis of flower development in Arabidopsis

Wendie Cohick, Associate Professor of Animal Sciences, FAS-NB; Ph.D., Cornell Cell biology (growth factors, signal transduction, mammary gland biology)

Lori Covey, Associate Professor of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, FAS-NB; Ph.D., Columbia Switch recombination in human B lymphocytes in response to T-cell factors

Robin L. Davis, Associate Professor of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, FAS-NB; Ph.D., Stanford
Regeneration and electrophysiology of peripheral auditory neurons

David T. Denhardt, Professor of Cell and Molecular Biology, FAS-NB; Ph.D., California Institute of Technology
Molecular biology of cancer, cell signaling and regulation of gene expression; structure and function of osteopontin and tissue inhibitor or metalloproteinases

Emmet A. Dennis, Professor of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, FAS-NB; Ph.D., Connecticut
Parasitology, schistosome pathology

Emanuel DiCicco-Bloom, Associate Professor of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, UMDNJ-RWJMS; M.D., Cornell Regulation of developmental and adult neurogenesis

Cheryl Dreyfus, Professor of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., Cornell Role of environmental factors on brain neuron ontogeny and glial

Monica Driscoll, Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, CABM; Ph.D., Harvard
Molecular genetics of degenerative cell death; mechanical signaling

Isaac Edery, Associate Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, FAS-NB/CABM; Ph.D., McGill Molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying biological clocks

M. David Egger, Professor of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., Yale
Neurophysiology; neuroanatomy; neurogenetics

Francine B. Essien, Professor of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, FAS-NB; Ph.D., Albert Einstein College of Medicine Developmental biology; genetics

Bonnie Firestein, Assistant Professor of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, FAS-NB; Ph.D., California (San Diego)
Targeting of neuronal proteins

Joseph Fondell, Assistant Professor of Physiology and Biophysics, UMDNJ- RWJMS; Ph.D., SUNY (Stony Brook) Regulation of gene expression by nuclear hormone receptors

Dunne Fong, Associate Professor of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, FAS-NB; Ph.D., Princeton
Cell differentiation: proteinases and cancer invasion

Ramsey Foty, Assistant Professor of Surgery, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., Toronto
Cancer, cadherins, catenins, cohesivity, invasion, metastasis, biophysics

Abram Gabriel, Associate Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, FAS-NB; M.D., Johns Hopkins
Mechanisms of retrotransposon replication; chromosomal rearrangements

Donald Gerecke, Assistant Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology, EMSP; Ph.D., Harvard Molecular biology of lung fibrosis

Marion Gordon, Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology, EMSP; Ph.D., UMDNJ/Rutgers Collagen gene regulation during cornea development; regulation and function of EMMPRIN, a matrix metalloproteinase stimulator, in normal and transformed cells

David Gorski, Assistant Professor of Surgery, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., Case Western Reserve
Homeobox genes in tumor biology; angiogenesis inhibition in tumor therapy

Barth Grant, Assistant Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, FAS-NB; Ph.D., Princeton
Endocytosis in C. elegans

Martin Grumet, Professor of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, FAS-NB; Ph.D., Johns Hopkins
Molecular mechanisms of cell adhesion in the nervous system

Samuel Gunderson, Associate Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, FAS-NB; Ph.D., Wisconsin
Regulation of polyadenylation, RNA-protein interactions

Raymond Habas, Assistant Professor of Biochemistry, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., SUNY (Stony Brook) The role of Wnt signaling during vertebrate development and cancer

Beatrice Haimovich, Associate Professor of Surgery, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., Pennsylvania
Cell-surface interaction; adhesion receptors mediated signals

Nathan H. Hart, Professor of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, FAS-NB; Ph.D., Harvard
Sperm egg interactions: egg activation; role of cytoskeleton in early embryogenesis

Ronald Hart, Professor of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, FAS-NB; Ph.D., Michigan
Neuroimmunology of central nervous system injury

Sarah Hitchcock-DeGregori, Professor of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., Case Western Reserve
Structure-function relationships in contractile proteins

Shu-Chan Hsu, Associate Professor of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, FAS-NB; Ph.D., British Columbia
Molecular mechanisms of synaptic development and function

Arnold G. Hyndman, Professor of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, FAS-NB; Ph.D., California (Los Angeles)
Developmental neurobiology; neurotoxicology

Masayori Inouye, Professor of Biochemistry, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., Osaka
Gene regulation; signal transduction; protein folding; adaptation to stresses

Kenneth Irvine, Associate Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, FAS-NB/WIM; Ph.D., Stanford Cell communication, patterning, and morphogenesis

William G. Johnson, Professor of Neurology, UMDNJ-RWJMS; M.D., Columbia
Genetics of human neurodegenerative diseases and developmental disorders

Megerditch Kiledjian, Associate Professor of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., Pennsylvania RNA-protein interactions in the eukaryotic gene expression

Joachim Kohn, Professor of Chemistry, FAS-NB; Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science Biocompatibility of medical implant materials, artificial biopolymers

Tony Ah-Ng Kong, Professor of Pharmaceutics, EMSP; Ph.D., SUNY (Buffalo)
Pharmacogenomics and toxicogenomics of cancer chemopreventative compounds

Sunita Kramer, Assistant Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., SUNY (Stony Brook) Extracellular matrix and cell signaling

George M. Krauthamer, Professor Emeritus of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., New York Neurophysiology; neuroanatomy

Eric Lam, Professor of Plant Science, BCAE/CC; Ph.D., California (Berkeley)
Plant gene targeting; programmed cell death; chromatin imaging

Jerome A. Langer, Associate Professor of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., Yale
Cloning and analysis of cell surface receptors for alpha interferon; mechanism of action of interferons; protein recognition; receptors

Debra L. Laskin, Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology, EMSP; Ph.D., Medical College of Virginia
Immunology; inflammation; toxicology; cytokinesis

Hsin-Yi Lee, Professor of Biological Sciences, FAS-C; Ph.D., Minnesota
Developmental biology; tissue culture

John Lenard, Professor of Physiology and Biophysics, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., Cornell
Cholesterol and steroid hormone endocrinology in C. elegans

Alice Y.-C. Liu, Professor of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, FAS-NB; Ph.D., Mount Sinai
Stress, aging, and the role of redox in cell signaling and regulation

Fang Liu, Associate Professor of Chemical Biology, EMSP/CABM; Ph.D., Harvard
Growth and differential control

Peter Lobel, Professor of Pharmacology, UMDNJ-RWJMS/CABM; Ph.D., Columbia Lysomal enzymes and human hereditary diseases; mannose 6-phosphate receptors

Richard A. Lutz, Professor of Marine and Coastal Sciences, CC; Ph.D., Maine
Biology of deep-sea hydrothermal vents; molluscan ecology

Charles Martin, Professor of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, FAS-NB; Ph.D., Florida State
Genetic control of membrane assembly

Michael Matise, Assistant Professor of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., Pittsburgh Molecular genetic control of vertebrate CNS development

Fumio Matsumura, Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, FAS-NB; Ph.D., Nagoya
Molecular and cell biology of cytokinesis

Michael McCormack, Professor of Pathology, UMDNJ-SOM; Ph.D., Minnesota
Human genetics; behavioral genetics; biochemical genetics; genetic counseling

Terry R. McGuire, Associate Professor of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, FAS-NB; Ph.D., Illinois
Behavioral and neurogenetics; biometrical genetics

Kim S. McKim, Associate Professor of Genetics, CC/WIM; Ph.D., British Columbia Regulation of meiotic recombination; homologous chromosome pairing; DNA repair

Randall D. McKinnon, Associate Professor of Neurosurgery, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., McMaster CNS development and myelination; growth factors and signal transduction; cell transplantation; gene therapy for CNS tumors

Sally Meiners, Assistant Professor of Pharmacology, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., Michigan State
Cell-surface interaction: adhesion receptors, mediated signals

Gary F. Merrill, Professor of Physiology, Cell Biology, and Neuroscience, FAS-NB; Ph.D., Michigan State
Organ perfusion; roles of naturally occurring chemicals in regulation of heart and skeletal muscle

Joachim Messing, University Professor of Molecular Biology, WIM/FAS-NB; Ph.D., Munich
Plant molecular biology

James Millonig, Assistant Professor of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, UMDNJ-RWJMS/CABM; Ph.D., Princeton
Mouse genetics, dorsal CNS development, transcriptional regulation and neuroanatomy

Prabhas Moghe, Associate Professor of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, SE; Ph.D., Minnesota
Bioengineering; microarchitecture of polymeric tissue analogs; tissue engineering of liver and skin; cell-biomaterial interactions and cell stress engineering during vascular reconstruction

William R. Moyle, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., Harvard
Molecular biology of hormone action; structure and function of protein hormones and their receptors

Robert G. Nagele, Associate Professor of Molecular Biology, UMDNJ-SOM; Ph.D., Rutgers
Chromatin organization in the cell nucleus

Richard S. Nowakowski, Associate Professor of Anatomy, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., Harvard
Cell proliferation and migration during the early development of central nervous system

Richard W. Padgett, Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, WIM/ FAS-NB; Ph.D., North Carolina (Chapel Hill)
Molecular genetics of development in Drosophila and C. elegans

Howard C. Passmore, Jr., Professor of Genetics, FAS-NB; Ph.D., Michigan
Mammalian genetics

Garth Patterson, Assistant Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, FAS-NB; Ph.D., Oregon
Development, signal transduction, genetics, gene expression, aging

John Pintar, Professor of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., Oregon
Genetic analysis of mammalian growth and neuroendocrine development

Mark R. Plummer, Associate Professor of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, FAS-NB; Ph.D., Stanford
Pharmacology and kinetic studies of neuronal calcium channels and synaptic plasticity

Jamshid Rabii, Professor of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, FAS-NB; Ph.D., California (San Francisco)
Neuroendocrinology; dynamics of brain-pituitary axis

Cordelia Rauskolb, Research Assistant Professor, WIM; Ph.D., Princeton
Regulation and mechanism of segmentation during Drosophila development

Yacov Ron, Associate Professor of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science
Gene therapy approaches for treatment of autoimmune diseases; development of T and B cells

Christopher Rongo, Assistant Professor of Genetics, WIM/FAS-NB; Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Synapse formation in the C. elegans nervous system

Charles Roth, Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, SE; Ph.D., Pennsylvania
Molecular bioengineering

Alexey G. Ryazanov, Associate Professor of Pharmacology, UMDNJ-RWJMS/CINJ; Ph.D., Moscow
Regulation of protein synthesis and the cell cycle

Melitta Schachner, Professor of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, FAS-NB; Ph.D., Max-Planck-Institut for Biology
Formation of appropriate connections among nerve cells

David Seiden, Professor of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., Temple Skeletal and cardiac muscle

Konstantin Severinov, Associate Professor of Genetics, FAS-NB; Ph.D., Russian Academy of Sciences
Structure and function of RNA polymerases from eubacteria and yeasts

Daniel Shain, Assistant Professor of Biology, FAS-C; Ph.D., Colorado State
Molecular and cellular development of annelids

Aaron Shatkin, Professor of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, UMDNJ-RWJMS; University Professor of Molecular Biology, Rutgers; Director of the Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine; Ph.D., Rockefeller
Eukaryotic gene expression; viral cytopathogenesis

Michael M. Shen, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, UMDNJ-RWJMS/CABM/ CINJ; Ph.D., Cambridge
Growth factor signaling in and pattern formation in mouse embryo genesis; prostate development and cancer

Andrew Singson, Assistant Professor of Genetics, FAS-NB/WIM; Ph.D., California (San Diego)
Reproductive biology and cell-cell interactions in C. elegans

Martha Soto, Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., Harvard Using C. Elegans embryos to investigate polarized cell divisions

Ruth Steward, Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, WIM/FAS-NB; Ph.D., Basel
Nuclear migration, RNA localization, and patterning in Drosophila

Ann Stock, Associate Professor of Biochemistry, UMDNJ-RWJMS/CABM; Ph.D., California (Berkeley)
Structure and function of signal transduction proteins

Nanjoo Suh, Associate Professor of Chemical Biology, FAS-NB; Ph.D., Illinois (Chicago) Mechanistic study of cancer prevention and inflammation-natural/synthetic agents

Mikhail Tchikindas, Assistant Professor of Food Science, FAS-NB; Ph.D., VNIIgenetika (Moscow) Microbiology, food safety, bacteriocins

Robert Trelstad, Chairperson and Professor of Pathology, UMDNJ-RWJMS; M.D., Harvard
Morphogenesis; patterning mechanisms; medical informatics

Chih-Cheng Tsai, Assistant Professor of Physiology and Biophysics, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., SUNY (Stony Brook)
Transcriptional regulation, nuclear receptor coreceptors, Drosophila development

Aurea C. Vasconcelos, Professor of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, FAS-NB; Ph.D., Chicago
Cell biology; plant molecular biology; chloroplast development, function, and regulation; carbohydrate metabolism

Andrew K. Vershon, Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, WIM/FAS-NB; Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Regulation of transcription in the yeast S. cerevisiae

William G. Wadsworth, Associate Professor of Pathology, UMDNJ-RWJMS/CABM; Ph.D., Missouri (Columbia)
Extracellular matrix and the guidance of cell migrations in C. elegans

Nancy Walworth, Associate Professor of Pharmacology, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., Yale Regulation of cell cycle progression in eukaryotic cells

Guy Werlen, Associate Professor of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, FAS-NB; Ph.D., Geneva Signaling networks and mechanisms that control life and death of developing T lymphocytes

Eileen White, Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, FAS-NB/CABM; Ph.D., SUNY (Stony Brook)
Regulation of programmed cell death (apoptosis) by viral oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes

Frank J. Wilson, Professor of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., Pittsburgh
Functions of motility-related proteins in muscle and nonmuscle systems

Donald A. Winkelmann, Associate Professor of Pathology, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., Wisconsin (Madison)
Macromolecular structure and assembly; molecular motor dynamics

Nancy Woychik, Associate Professor of Molecular Genetics, Microbiology, and Immunology, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., Wisconsin (Madison) Aging, viral/bacterial pathogenesis, cancer

Mengqing Xiang, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, UMDNJ-RWJMS/CABM; Ph.D., Texas Molecular mechanisms of neurosensory development

Gutian Xiao, Assistant Professor of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, FAS-NB; Ph.D., Fudan Cell signaling in immunity and oncogenesis

Chung S. Yang, Professor of Pharmacognosy, EMSP; Ph.D., Cornell Mechanisms of drug metabolism and toxicity; molecular changes in carcinogenesis and their inhibition by dietary constituents

Wise Young, Professor of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, FAS-NB; Ph.D., Iowa; M.D., Stanford
Spinal cord nerve regeneration

Peter D. Yurchenco, Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, UMDNJ-RWJMS; M.D., Ph.D., Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Basement membrane assembly and structure; biochemistry cell biology and molecular genetic approaches

James Q. Zheng, Associate Professor of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., Tsinghua Molecular/cellular mechanisms underlying the formation of neuronal circuitry

Renping Zhou, Associate Professor of Chemical Biology, EMSP/EOHSI; Ph.D., California (Berkeley)
Molecular biology of axonal guidance and neural map formation

Associate Members of the Graduate Faculty

Rocco V. Carsia, Associate Professor of Cell Biology, UMDNJ-SOM; Ph.D., Rutgers
Adrenocortical cell physiology

Julie M. Fagan, Professor of Animal Sciences, CC; Ph.D., Arizona
Mechanisms of protein breakdown in mammalian cells; muscle growth; molecular, cellular, and immunological studies of proteinases and their inhibitors in health and in disease

Dennis J. Joslyn, Professor of Zoology, FAS-C; Ph.D., Illinois
Insect cytogenetics

Kathleen M. Scott, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, FAS-NB; Ph.D., Yale
Mammalogy; vertebrate paleontology; functional morphology