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

Peter Amenta, Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Interim Dean, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, UMDNJ-RWJMS/CINJ; Ph.D., Hahnemann
Electron microscopy

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

Debabrata Banerjee, Associate Professor of Medicine and Pharmacology, UMDNJ-RWJMS/CINJ; Ph.D., Calcutta
Cancer pharmacology; antifolate research

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

Maureen M. Barr, Associate Professor of Genetics, SAS/WIM; Ph.D., Columbia 
C. elegans cilia development, morphogenesis, and function: a human disease model

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

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

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

Linda Brzustowicz, Professor of Genetics, SAS; M.D., Columbia
Human molecular genetics; genetics of psychiatric disorders

Li Cai, Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering, SAS; Ph.D., UMDNJ/Rutgers
Neural stem cell research in developing retina using computational and experimental approaches 

Salvatore J. Caradonna, Professor and Chair 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, SAS; Ph.D., Yale
Biochemistry and function of polyamines and hypusine-containing eIF-5A; cancer biology; transcription factors and cellular senescence

Suzie Chen, 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

Mikhail Chikindas, Assistant Professor of Food Science, SEBS; Ph.D., VNIIgenetika (Moscow)
Microbiology; food safety; bacteriocins

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

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

Gabriella D'Arcangelo, Associate Professor of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, SAS; Ph.D., SUNY (Stony Brook)
Molecular mechanisms of neuronal proliferation, differentiation, and migration

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

David T. Denhardt, Professor II of Cell and Molecular Biology, SAS; 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, SAS; Ph.D., Connecticut
Parasitology; schistosome pathology

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

Dessislava Dimova, Assistant Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, SAS; Ph.D., Cornell
The E2F/RB pathway--study of transcriptional regulatory networks through genomics

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, SAS/CABM; Ph.D., Harvard
Molecular genetics of degenerative cell death; mechanical signaling

Isaac Edery, Associate Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, SAS/CABM; Ph.D., McGill (Canada)
Molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying biological clocks

Bonnie Firestein, Associate Professor of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, SAS; Ph.D., California (San Diego)
Targeting of neuronal proteins

Joseph Fondell, Associate 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, SAS; Ph.D., Princeton
Cell differentiation: proteinases and cancer invasion

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

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

Donald Gerecke, Associate 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

James Goydos, Associate Professor of Surgery, UMDNJ-RWJMS/CINJ; M.D., UMDNJ-RWJMS
Melanoma and soft tissue oncology

Barth Grant, Associate Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, SAS; Ph.D., Princeton
Endocytosis in C. elegans

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

Samuel Gunderson, Associate Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, SAS; 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, SAS; Ph.D., Harvard
Sperm egg interactions: egg activation; role of cytoskeleton in early embryogenesis

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

Karl Herrup, Chair and Professor of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, SAS; Ph.D., Stanford
Neurogenetics; cell cycle; cell death; CNS development; cerebellum; autism; Alzheimer's disease

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, SAS; Ph.D., British Columbia (Canada)
Molecular mechanisms of synaptic development and function

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

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

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

Kouichi Ito, Assistant Professor of Neurology, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., Tokyo Jikei (Japan)
Pathogenic and regulatory T cells; autoimmunity; neuroimmunology

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

Vassiliki Karantza-Wadsworth, Assistant Professor of Medicine, UMDNJ-RWJMS/CINJ; M.D., UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., Johns Hopkins
Breast cancer progression and treatment; autophagy; apoptosis, beclin1

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

Isaac Kim, Assistant Professor of Surgery, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., UMDNJ/Rutgers
Roles of transforming growth factor-ß and bone morphongenetic proteins in prostate cancer cells

Joachim Kohn, Professor of Chemistry, SAS; Ph.D., Weizmann (Israel)
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

Thomas Kusch, Assistant Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, SAS; Ph.D.,  Eberhard-Karls (Germany)
Epigenetic mechanisms of gene expression and genome stability; multiprotein complexes modulating chromatin structure; histone variants

Eric Lam, Professor of Plant Science, BCAE/SEBS; 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, SAS; 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, SEBS; Ph.D., Maine
Biology of deep-sea hydrothermal vents; molluscan ecology

Anant Madabhushi, Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering, SE; Ph.D., Pennsylvania
Medical image analysis; machine learning; computer-aided diagnosis

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

Michael Matise, Associate 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, SAS; Ph.D., Nagoya (Japan)
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, Professor of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, SAS; Ph.D., Illinois
Behavioral and neurogenetics; biometrical genetics

Kim S. McKim, Professor of Genetics, SAS/WIM; Ph.D., British Columbia (Canada)
Regulation of meiotic recombination; homologous chromosome pairing; DNA repair

Randall D. McKinnon, Associate Professor of Neurosurgery, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., McMaster (Canada)
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, SAS; 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/SAS; Ph.D., Munich (Germany)
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, 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,  Professor of Molecular Biology, UMDNJ-SOM; Ph.D., Rutgers
Chromatin organization in the cell nucleus

Bryce E. Nickels, Assistant Professor of Genetics, SAS; Ph.D., Harvard
Mechanisms of transcription; regulation of bacterial gene expression

Richard S. Nowakowski, 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/SAS; Ph.D., North Carolina (Chapel Hill)
Molecular genetics of development in Drosophila and C. elegans

Howard C. Passmore Jr., Professor of Genetics, SAS; Ph.D., Michigan
Mammalian genetics

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

Vincenzo Pirrotta, Professor and Chair of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, SAS; Ph.D., Harvard
Chromatin silencing; polycomb complexes; transcriptional regulation

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

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

Mladen-Roko Rasin, Assistant Professor of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., Zagreb (Croatia)
Molecular and cellular mechanisms of neocortical circuit formation

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

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

Christopher Rongo, Assistant Professor of Genetics, WIM/SAS; Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Synapse formation in the nervous system

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

Loren W. Runnels, Assistant Professor of Pharmacology, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., SUNY (Stony Brook)
Signal transduction; role of the channel-kinase TRPM7 in cell adhesion

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, SAS; Ph.D., Max Planck Institute for Biology (Germany)
Formation of appropriate connections among nerve cells

Kathleen W. Scotto, Professor of Pharmacology, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., Cornell
Transcriptional regulation of P-glycoprotein (MDR/mdr) gene

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

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

Daniel Shain, Associate 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

Troy Shinbrot,  Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, SAS; Ph.D., Maryland
Computational bioengineering; biomedical imaging

David I. Shreiber, Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, SE; Ph.D., Pennsylvania
Tissue engineering; injury biomechanics; nerve regeneration

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

Martha Soto, Assistant 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/SAS; Ph.D., Basel (Switzerland)
Nuclear migration, RNA localization, and patterning in Drosophila

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

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 Emerita of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, SAS; 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/SAS; Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Regulation of transcription in the yeast S. cerevisiae

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

Nancy Walworth, 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, SAS; Ph.D., Geneva (Switzerland)
Signaling networks and mechanisms that control life and death of developing T lymphocytes

Eileen White, Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, SAS/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

Ping Xie, Assistant Professor of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, SAS; Ph.D., Hong Kong
Molecular mechanisms of immune regulation and cancer pathogenesis

Nir Yakoby, Assistant Professor of Biology, FAS-C; Ph.D., Hebrew
Signaling dynamics; patterning and morphogenesis

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, SAS; 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., Einstein
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 (China)
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, SEBS; 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

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