Biochemistry 115

Degree Program Offered: Doctor of Philosophy

Acting Director of Graduate Program: Professor Abram Gabriel, Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine, SAS, Busch Campus (732-235-5097)

Acting Associate Director of Graduate Program: Professor Marc Gartenburg, UMDNJ-RWJMS, Busch Campus (732-235-5800)

Members of the Graduate Faculty

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

Edward Arnold, Professor of Chemistry, SAS/CABM; Ph.D., Cornell
Protein and virus structure; X-ray crystallography; AIDS; polymerases; vaccines

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

Jean S. Baum, Professor of Chemistry, SAS; Ph.D., California (Berkeley)
NMR; protein folding; molecular recognition

Helen M. Berman, Professor of Chemistry, SAS; Ph.D., Pittsburgh
Nucleic acid and protein structure; crystallography; biological databases

Jeffrey M. Boyd, Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Microbiology, SEBS; Ph.D., Utah State
Microbial biochemistry and molecular genetics; iron-sulfur cluster metabolism and cellular processes

Dawn L. Brasaemle, Associate Professor of Nutritional Sciences, SEBS; Ph.D., Wisconsin
Biology of neutral lipid storage and release

Kenneth J. Breslauer, Linus C. Pauling Professor of Chemistry, SAS; Ph.D., Yale Molecular recognition; drug-DNA interactions; DNA polymorphism; characterizing inter- and intramolecular forces macroscopically and microscopically; biothermodynamics

Gary Brewer, Professor of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., Auburn
Posttranscriptional control of gene expression in disease; cancer; immune response; congestive heart failure

Steven J. Brill, Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, SAS; Ph.D., SUNY (Stony Brook)
DNA replication; DNA repair; DNA helicase; genetic analysis; genome stability; protein purification; yeast

Barbara Brodsky, Professor of Biochemistry, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., Harvard
Structural studies of peptide models of normal collagen and its mutations in diseases

George M. Carman, Professor of Food Science, SEBS; Ph.D., Massachusetts Yeast phospholipid and nucleotide metabolism; enzymology; genetic regulation; lipids and cell signaling

Kiran K. Chada, Professor of Biochemistry, UMDNJ-RWJMS; D.Phil., Oxford Mammalian genetics; human diseases; transgenic mice; developmental biology; cancer

Kuang-Yu Chen, Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, SAS; Ph.D., Yale Hypusine formation and eukaryotic initiation factor 5A; nutraceuticals-genomic screening and interactions; cell aging and late G1 gene regulation; osmotic stress and heat shock factor activation

Suzie Chen, Professor of Chemical Biology, EMSP; Ph.D., Albert Einstein
Mouse model of melanoma; regulation of cell signaling by G-protein-coupled receptor

Davide Comoletti, Assistant Professor of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, UMDNJ-RWJMS/CHINJ; D.V.M., Milan
Structural and molecular basis of synapse formation and connectivity in relation to autism spectrum disorders

David T. Denhardt, Professor Emeritus of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, SAS; Ph.D., California Institute of Technology
Systems biology of osteopontin: role in autoimmune disease, stress responses, bone remodeling, and cancer metastasis

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

G. Charles Dismukes, Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, SAS/WIM; Ph.D., Wisconsin
Microbial metabolism and renewable energy production

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

Richard H. Ebright, Professor of Chemistry, SAS/WIM; Ph.D., Harvard
Structure, mechanism, and regulation of transcription complexes; small-molecule inhibitors of transcription; single-molecule imaging; single-molecule nanomanipulation

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

Julie M. Fagan, Professor of Animal Sciences, SEBS; Ph.D., Arizona
Proteases and their inhibitors in health and disease

Bonnie Firestein, 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

Abram Gabriel, Associate Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, SAS; M.D., Johns Hopkins
Retrotransposons; reverse transcriptase fidelity; DNA repair; chromosome stability

Marc Gartenberg,Professor of Pharmacology, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., Yale
Sister chromatid cohesion; gene expression; chromatin and epigenetics

Celine Gelinas, Professor of Biochemistry, UMDNJ-RWJMS/CABM; Ph.D., Sherbrooke
Oncogenes; transcription; malignant cell transformation; cell proliferation; apoptosis

Donald Gerecke, Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology, EMSP; Ph.D., Harvard
Collagen; lung; liver; heart; fibrosis; hypertension

Marion Gordon, Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology, EMSP; Ph.D., UMDNJ/Rutgers
Cell matrix interactions; cell, developmental and molecular biology of extracellular matrix molecules

Barth Grant, Associate Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, SAS; Ph.D., Princeton
Endocytosis and recycling; protein and membrane transport; molecular genetics and genomics

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

Michael Hampsey, Professor of Biochemistry, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., Purdue
Regulation of gene expression; yeast genetics

Sarah E. Hitchcock-DeGregori, Professor of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., Case Western Reserve
Protein structure-function relationships

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

Qingrong Huang, Associate Professor of Food Science, SEBS; Ph.D., Nebraska
Novel functional food; nano- and microencapsulation of active food ingredients; fabrication of nanoscale biosensors; nanotechnology

Masayori Inouye, Professor of Biochemistry, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., Osaka
Molecular biology of cellular adaptation to stresses

Sumiko Inouye, Associate Professor of Biochemistry, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., Nagoya (Japan)
Development-specific gene expression; signal transduction during differentiation; eukaryotic-like protein kinases; bacterial retroelements; reverse transcriptase

Kenneth D. Irvine, Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, SAS/WIM; Ph.D., Stanford
Cell-signaling; pattern formation; growth control; cell movement

Shengkan (Victor) Jin, Assistant Professor of Pharmacology, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., Cornell
Tumor suppressor genes; programmed cell death; tumorigenesis

Frank Jordan, Professor of Chemistry, FAS-N; Ph.D., Pennsylvania
Mechanism of thiamin-dependent enzymes and of serine proteases

Peter C. Kahn, Professor of Biochemistry, SEBS; Ph.D., Columbia
Protein folding; subunit assembly; ligand interactions; hydration; dioxins and related compounds

Charolampos Kalodimos, Associate Professor of Chemistry, SAS; Ph.D., Institut Curie (France)/Ioannina (Greece)
Structural biology; NMR spectroscopy; allostery and dynamics; protein trafficking; cell signaling; gene regulation; protein secretion; DNA and RNA helicases

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

Frederick C. Kauffman, Professor Emeritus of Pharmacology, EMSP; Ph.D., Illinois
Biochemical aspects of toxicology

Megerditch Kiledjian, Professor of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, SAS; Ph.D., Pennsylvania
Post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression; determinants of mRNA stability; RNA-protein interactions

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

Terri Goss Kinzy, Professor of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., Case Western Reserve
Regulation of gene expression; mechanisms of protein synthesis and G-protein regulation

Tony Ah-Ng Kong, Professor of Pharmaceutics, EMSP; Ph.D., SUNY (Buffalo)
Dietary phytochemicals and cancer prevention; Nrf2-mediated redox signaling; pharmacokinetics; pharmacodynamics

Thomas Kusch, Assistant Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, SAS; Ph.D., Tübingen (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)
Gene expression; transcription factors; signal transduction; leaf morphogenesis; pattern formation

Jerome Langer, Associate Professor of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., Yale
Structure and function of interferons and interferon receptors; development of Type I IFN antagonists; role of IFNs in autoimmune diseases such as lupus

Debra Laskin, Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology, EMSP; Ph.D., Medical College of Virginia
Immunology; macrophages; nitric oxide; inflammation

Jeffrey D. Laskin, Professor of Environmental and Community Medicine, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., SUNY (Buffalo)
Cancer research; oncogene expression and growth factor mediated signal transduction; tyrosine kinases; immunobiology of inflammation; nitric oxide

Jeehiun K. Lee, Associate Professor of Chemistry, SAS; Ph.D.,  Harvard
Biophysical organic and analytical chemistry; computational chemistry; mass spectrometry; study of chemical reactivity, recognition, and catalysis

Ki-Bum Lee, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, SAS; Ph.D., Northwestern
Tumor immunology; immune mechanisms; genetically-based vaccine strategies

Ronald M. Levy, Professor of Chemistry, SAS; Ph.D., Harvard
Computer modeling of protein structure and dynamics

Alice Y.C. Liu, Professor of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, SAS; Ph.D., Mount Sinai
Stress, aging, and molecular chaperones

Fang Liu, Associate Professor of Chemical Biology, EMSP/CABM; Ph.D., Harvard
Signal transduction and gene regulation, growth, and differentiation control 

Leroy Liu, Professor and Chairman of Pharmacology; UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., California (Berkeley)
Cancer biology; cancer pharmacology; DNA damage and repair

Peter Lobel, Professor of Pharmacology, UMDNJ-RWJMS/CABM; Ph.D., Columbia
Hereditary neurodegenerative diseases; functional genomics; lysosomes; protein targeting

Kiran Madura, Professor of Biochemistry, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., Rochester
Ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis in signal transduction pathways in yeast

Pal Maliga, Professor of Genetics, SAS/WIM; Ph.D., Hungarian Academy of Sciences
Molecular genetics of plastids; plastid engineering; regulation of plastid gene expression

Paul Manowitz, Professor of Psychiatry, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., Brandeis
Biochemical and molecular biological studies of human behavior

Joe Marcotrigiano, Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology; SAS/CABM; Ph.D., Rockefeller
Structure and function of hepatitis C viral proteins

Tara Matise, Associate Professor of Genetics, SAS; Ph.D., Pittsburgh
Computational genetics

Fumio Matsumura, Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, SAS; Ph.D., Nagoya (Japan)
Control of cell division; protein phosphorylation; microfilaments; cdc2 kinase and cyclines; cancer

Richard Mendelsohn, Professor of Chemistry, FAS-N; Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Membrane biophysics; vibrational spectroscopy; phospholipid/protein interaction; lung surfactants

Joachim W. Messing, University Professor of Molecular Biology, SAS/WIM; Ph.D., Munich
Molecular and genetic mechanisms of agronomically important quantitative traits; molecular biology of plant development; regulation of gene expression in higher plants; plant genomics; bioinformatics

Gaetano T. Montelione, Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, SAS/CABM; Ph.D., Cornell
New NMR methods development; molecular recognition; growth factors; protein: nucleic acid complexes, structures of RNA-binding proteins, molecular dynamics, and protein design

Vikas Nanda, Assistant Professor of Biochemistry, UMDNJ-RWJMS/CABM; Ph.D., Johns Hopkins
Protein evolution and folding; computational de novo design of proteins and biomimetics

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

Robert A. Niederman, Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, SAS; D.V.M., Ph.D., Illinois
Structure, function, and assembly of photosynthetic membranes

Wilma Olson, Mary I. Bunting Professor of Chemistry, SAS; Ph.D., Stanford
Biopolymer conformation and properties

Richard Padgett, Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, SAS/WIM; Ph.D., North Carolina (Chapel Hill)
Signal transductions; microRNAs in cancer; developmental biology; Drosophila and C. elegans

Smita Patel, Professor of Biochemistry, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., Tufts
Dynamics of molecular motors in genome replication and transcription

Sidney Pestka, Professor and Chair of Molecular Genetics and
Microbiology, UMDNJ-RWJMS; M.D., Pennsylvania
Receptors; signal transduction; interferons and cytokines; protein expression

George Pieczenik, Associate Professor of Biochemistry, SEBS; Ph.D., New York
Theory of genotypic selection; nucleotide sequence analysis; combinatorial phage display; identification and characterization of nonpathogenic strains of HIV; temporal analysis of Land color phenomena

John Pintar, Professor of Neuroscience, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., Oregon
Insulin-like growth factors in early mammalian development; development of the pituitary gland

Vincenzo Pirrotta, Professor and Chair of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, SAS; Ph.D., Harvard
Chromatin structure and dynamics; polycomb silencing mechanisms; epigenetic mechanisms; developmental gene regulation; genomic programming; Drosophila genetics

Arnold Rabson, Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Director, Child Health Institute; M.D., Brown
Gene regulation in cancer; human retroviral infections

Charles Roth, Associate Professor of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, SE; Ph.D., Delaware
Gene-based therapeutics; bioinformatics and systems biology; hepatocyte differentiation; novel strategies for treatment of brain tumors

Monica Roth, Professor of Biochemistry, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., Albert Einstein
Retroviruses: integration, reverse transcriptase, envelope proteins, gene therapy, targeted entry, structural studies

Melitta Schachner, Professor of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, SAS; Ph.D., Max Planck Institute for Biology
Formation of appropriate connections among nerve cells

Carl P. Schaffner, Professor Emeritus of Biology, SAS/WIM; Ph.D., Illinois
Antibiotic chemistry and biology; prostatic cholesterogenesis

Konstantin Severinov, Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, SAS/WIM; Ph.D., Russian Academy of Sciences
Genetic and biochemical analysis of RNA polymerases from E. coli and yeast; site-directed modification of proteins

Aaron Shatkin, Professor of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, UMDNJ-RWJMS; University Professor of Molecular Biology, Rutgers; Director, Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine; Ph.D., Rockefeller
Viral cytopathogenesis; protein synthesis; mRNA 5'-capping; transcription elongation; protein processing

Navin K. Sinha, Associate Professor of Genetics, SAS; Ph.D., Minnesota
Accuracy of DNA replication; chemical carcinogenesis

Ruth Steward, Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, SAS/WIM; Ph.D., Basel (Switzerland)
Pattern formation in Drosophila

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

Vasily Studitsky, Professor of Pharmacology, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., W. Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology (Russia)
Transcription regulation; chromatin remodeling; mechanisms of enhancer and insulator action

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

T.J. Thomas, Professor of Medicine, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., Indian Institute of Science
Development of triplex DNA-based gene therapy; polyamine-DNA interactions; role of estrogens in lupus and breast cancer

Chih-Cheng Tsai, Associate Professor of Physiology and Biophysics, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., SUNY (Stony Brook)
Transcriptional repression, chromatin modifying factors, epigenetic effects, polyglutamine diseases, nuclear receptor signaling, and animal development

Theodorus van Es, Professor of Biochemistry, SEBS; Ph.D., Witwatersrand (South Africa)
Carbohydrate chemistry and biochemistry; the application of modified glycosidases in the synthesis of glycosides; synthetic applications of modified enzymes in organic solvent media

Andrew K. Vershon, Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, SAS/WIM; Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Transcriptional regulation in yeast 

Nancy Walworth, Professor of Pharmacology, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., Yale
Cell cycle checkpoint control in response to DNA damage

William W. Ward, Associate Professor of Biochemistry, SEBS; Ph.D., Johns Hopkins
Protein and peptide biochemistry; applications of bioluminescence

Guy Werlen, Associate Professor of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, SAS; Ph.D., Geneva
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)
Oncogenes; tumor suppressor genes; apoptosis; autophagy; cancer metabolism

Lori White, Associate Professor of Biochemistry, SEBS; Ph.D., Dartmouth
Molecular mechanisms of xenobiotic-induced pathologies

Donald Winkelmann, Associate Professor of Pathology, UMDNJ-RWJMS; Ph.D., Wisconsin
Protein structure; molecular motors; protein engineering; macromolecular assembly; muscle contraction

Chung S. Yang, Professor of Chemical Biology, EMSP; Ph.D., Cornell
Molecular mechanisms of carcinogenesis and its prevention

Guofeng You, Professor of Pharmaceutics, EMSP; Ph.D., Clark
Molecular and cellular pharmacology; drug/toxin elimination

Peter D. Yurchenco, Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, UMDNJ-RWJMS; M.D., Ph.D., Albert Einstein
Assembly, structure and function of basement membranes

Miguel Zaratiegui, Assistant Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemstry, SAS; Ph.D., Navarra
Chromatin dynamics; heterochromatin; RNA interference; transposons; silencing; replication; genome integrity; fission yeast genetics

Barbara A. Zilinskas, Professor of Plant Biochemistry, SEBS; Ph.D., Illinois
Plant molecular biology and biochemistry

Gerben Zylstra, Professor of Biochemistry and Microbiology, BCAE/SEBS; Ph.D., Michigan
Molecular and biochemical basis for microbial aromatic hydrocarbon degradation

Associate Members of the Graduate Faculty

Mary Konsolaki, Associate Research Professor of Genetics, SAS; Ph.D., Crete
Analysis of toxicity associated with Alzheimer's beta-amyloid, using Drosophila as a model system