New Faculty

CNAS Welcomes New Faculty Members for the 2025 Academic Year

tomwt — Wed, 22 Oct 2025 18:53:23 +0000

CNAS Welcomes New Faculty Members for the 2025 Academic Year tomwt Wed, 10/22/2025 - 11:53 More College News October 22, 2025

The College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences (CNAS) welcomed its newest faculty on October 20, hosting a full day of events designed to connect them with the CNAS community.

The program began at noon with the CNAS New Faculty Orientation in HUB 269, continued with a campus tour led by the CNAS Science Ambassadors, and concluded with an evening New Faculty Reception at the Alumni and Visitors Center.

Meet the 2025 CNAS New Faculty Members

Yifan Dong, an assistant professor of physical chemistry, received her doctorate in chemistry from Imperial College London and completed a postdoc at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Her research group develops versatile ultrafast spectroscopy platforms, spanning optical to terahertz (THz) frequencies, to probe charge and spin dynamics in emerging semiconductors. By bridging fundamental spectroscopy with materials design, her team seeks to reveal the mechanisms that enable efficient energy conversion and spin control in next-generation optoelectronic and spintronic devices.

Pooja Flora, an assistant professor in the Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, received her doctorate in biological sciences from the University at Albany, SUNY. She trained as a postdoctoral fellow at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Her research focuses on the role of epigenetic and chromatin-based mechanisms in regulating epithelial stem cell function and tissue longevity. Her lab uses comparative and multi-omics approaches to uncover how conserved chromatin regulators safeguard cell identity, regeneration, and long-term tissue health.

Ludmila Fonseca Teixeira, an assistant professor of economic geology, received her doctorate from ETH Zurich in Switzerland. Her research focuses on understanding the genetic processes and conditions that control the concentration (or absence) of critical minerals in magmatic rocks, particularly those of high-silica composition. She has worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. She will join the faculty in April 2026.

Tom Gannon, an assistant professor of mathematics, received his doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin. His work applies algebraic geometry to study questions that arise in mathematical physics. Prior to joining UCR, he was an assistant adjunct professor at UCLA.

Fabian Klenner, an assistant professor of planetary sciences, received his doctorate from Freie Universität Berlin in Germany. He has applied his research around icy ocean worlds in the solar system in planning for various space missions. His research group combines laboratory experiments, computer simulations, and spacecraft observations to address astrobiological questions about extraterrestrial geochemical processes and the detection of life beyond Earth. He will join the faculty in December.

Salil Koner, an assistant professor of statistics, received his doctorate in statistics from North Carolina State University, Raleigh. Before joining UCR, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Duke University. His research focuses on uncertainty quantification and valid inference for complex, high-dimensional clinical trajectories and neuroimaging data, with applications to aging disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.

Suqi Liu, an assistant professor of statistics, received his doctorate from Princeton University. His research interests span the theoretical foundations and practical applications of probability, statistics, machine learning, and data science. He focuses on complex structured health data, including biomedical networks, genomic sequences, and clinical notes.

Zachary MacDonald, an assistant professor of conservation genomics and biodiversity in the entomology department, received his doctorate in ecology from the University of Alberta. His research examines ecological and evolutionary mechanisms that structure biodiversity in space and time, focusing on cryptic diversity, speciation, and insect conservation across western North America. His lab aims to identify and document hidden diversity , clarify processes shaping genetic variation, and translate these insights into conservation. MacDonald’sHis long-term goal is to build comprehensive multispecies genomic datasets for insects, creating tools to guide biodiversity protection across North America and beyond.

Lindsay McCulloch, an assistant professor of teaching, received her doctorate in ecology and evolutionary biology from Brown University. Her research focuses on plant-microbe interactions, biogeochemical cycling, tropical forest restoration, and plant-soil dynamics. She has studied the environmental factors that influence plant-microbial interactions in tropical rainforests and researched seed-fungal interactions in Panama.

Adriana Romero-Olivares, an assistant professor in the Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, received her doctorate in biological sciences from UC Irvine. She investigates how fungi respond to environmental stress and how these responses influence our ecosystems and society. Her research integrates experimental ecology, traditional microbiology, and genomics to understand and predict ecosystem resilience in a changing climate. She was previously an assistant professor at New Mexico State University. She will join the faculty in January.

Karma Nanglu, an assistant professor of evolutionary paleobiology in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, received his doctorate in ecology and evolutionary biology from the University of Toronto. His research focuses on the early diversification of animal life, as recorded by fossils with exceptional soft-tissue preservation. He does so through specimen-based research, integrating field work, museum collections, and quantitative methods. He also studies the broader ecosystems in which these animals evolved through the lens of community ecology.

Pei Su, an assistant professor of biochemistry, received his doctorate in analytical chemistry from Purdue University. His research is at the interface of analytical chemistry, mass spectrometry, instrumentation, bioinformatics, and protein biochemistry. At UC Riverside, he will be leading the Laboratory of Integrative Proteoform Biology to study how cellular metabolism shapes the immune system.

Morgan Thompson, an assistant professor of entomology, received her doctorate from Texas A&M University. Her research integrates chemical, molecular, and community ecology to understand plant-insect interactions. She examines how plants defend against herbivores and their effects on surrounding ecological communities. Her research reveals sustainable and environmentally friendly strategies for altering insect pest behavior and enhancing plant protection in natural and agricultural ecosystems. She will join the faculty in January.

Joana Voigt, an assistant professor of planetary science, received her doctorate in planetary sciences from the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory. Her research focuses on effusive volcanism on Earth and Mars, and the interactions between water and rock within volcanic terrains. Her work aims to clarify the relationship between eruption dynamics and the characteristics of surfaces and shallow sub surfaces of effusive eruptions. Her research employs methodologies including orbital remote sensing techniques and instruments, unoccupied aircraft systems and field observations, particularly in terrains similar to Martian environments. She will join the faculty in January.

Bryan Wong, a full professor in the Department of Chemistry, received his doctorate in physical chemistry at MIT. Wong's research focuses on developing and applying quantum-mechanical computational techniques to predict, understand, and rationally design chemical/material systems (either previously synthesized or yet to be made). Wong is the recipient of a Department of Energy (DOE) Early Career Award, an R&D 100 Award, the ACS COMP Outstanding Junior Faculty Award, and a 2022 HPCWire Award for quantum dynamics calculations. Wong is the lead PI on a new DOE SciDAC center at UC Riverside on large-scale quantum dynamics calculations for chemical/material systems.

Yue Jane Wu, an assistant professor of chemistry, received her doctorate in chemistry and biochemistry from the Georgia Institute of Technology. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard University, where she integrated nanodevice fabrication, optical imaging, and single-cell omics to develop innovative approaches for studying cellular heterogeneity. Wu’s group aims to advance high-throughput bioanalytical chemistry by creating optical and molecular barcoding technologies that connect high-content imaging with single-cell analysis. They seek to uncover new insights into immune cell function, genetic perturbation responses, and complex biological systems through interdisciplinary methods spanning analytical chemistry, materials science, and systems biology.

Qiguo Yu, an assistant professor in the Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, received his doctorate in plant biology from Rutgers University. He completed postdoctoral training at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His research focuses on engineering plants, notably the chloroplast organelle, with an emphasis on developing new genetic tools and strategies for engineering complex pathways (such as carbon fixation, nitrogen fixation) in plant plastids.

Jeffrey Zhang, an assistant professor of statistics, received his doctorate in operations research and engineering from Princeton University. He studied solutions to optimization problems and now researches higher order optimization and biomedical applications for large language models in mental health and hospital operations.

This fall’s CNAS New Faculty events welcomed about half of the college’s incoming faculty; additional CNAS scholars with 2026 start dates will be introduced at a winter quarter orientation and reception.

Building Community and Collaboration

The CNAS New Faculty Orientation emphasized the importance of collaboration and community across CNAS, helping new faculty build the relationships and resources that will support their success at UC Riverside.

“Welcome, and thank you for choosing CNAS and UC Riverside as your new home,” said CNAS Dean Peter Atkinson in his opening remarks. “The college and each department have fantastic faculty and staff who offer tremendous expertise to help you succeed.”

Divisional Dean of Life Sciences, Morris Maduro, served as emcee and set a lighthearted tone. “We’ve got a lot of ground to cover,” he told the group. “It’s going to be like drinking from a fire hose of information!”

The orientation offered an invaluable primer on key areas of the college, featuring presentations from leaders across CNAS who shared insights, resources, and advice to help new faculty hit the ground running. Speakers included:

CNAS Student Academic Affairs – Stephanie Dingwall, CNAS Divisional Dean
Physical Sciences and Mathematics – Stefano Vidussi, CNAS Divisional Dean
Life Sciences – Morris Maduro, CNAS Divisional Dean
Agriculture & Natural Resources – Patricia Springer, CNAS Divisional Dean
CNAS Graduate Student Affairs Center (GSAC) and CNAS Enrollment Management Center – Nikita McWells, Assistant Dean
Undergraduate Academic Advising Center (UAAC) and Success Center – Brett McFarlane, Assistant Dean
Academic Personnel Services Unit (APSU) – Joyleen Salas, Director
Advancement and Retention in Academe (ARA) – Patricia Springer, CNAS Divisional Dean, Agriculture and Natural Resources
Communications – Joann Young, Assistant Dean, Communications and Strategic Initiatives
Budget and Administrative Units – Jennifer Farias, Special Advisor to the Dean
Facilities – Sabrina Shuster, CNAS Facilities Liaison
Grant Facilitation – Constanze Ditterich, CNAS Senior Grant Facilitator
Development – Robyn Martinelli, Assistant Dean

A Warm Welcome and Shared Mission

The CNAS New Faculty Reception provided a relaxed setting for conversation, connection, and celebration—giving everyone time to mingle, share ideas, and get to know one another.

During her remarks, UCR Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Elizabeth Watkins commended the college’s collaborative spirit. “CNAS brings everyone together in an impressive way,” she said. “I want new faculty to know that they’re entering a world where colleagues really care about you and want you to be successful.”

“We are crystal clear about our mission here at UCR,” she continued. “That does not and will not change. We are about research excellence, access, social mobility, student success, and serving our community. That’s what this campus was built upon.”

Before closing, Provost Watkins encouraged the new faculty to reflect on what that mission means to them: “Do what you came here to do,” she said.

CNAS looks forward to welcoming the remaining cohort of new faculty at the winter 2026 orientation and reception, as the college continues to grow its dynamic community of scholars dedicated to research, teaching, and discovery.

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New Faculty

CNAS Celebrates New Faculty Members for the 2024 Academic Year

owenw — Fri, 11 Oct 2024 20:54:02 +0000

CNAS Celebrates New Faculty Members for the 2024 Academic Year owenw Fri, 10/11/2024 - 13:54 More College News October 11, 2024

The UC Riverside College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences (CNAS) welcomed and celebrated 33 new faculty members for the 2024 academic year at the annual New Faculty Reception on October 29.

Peter Atkinson, CNAS Interim Dean, welcomed the new faculty members and their families at the Alumni & Visitors Center for a special dinner, where they were joined by current CNAS faculty. New faculty members were also introduced to the CNAS community by their respective department chairs.

"In your years here, you will find good friends, good colleagues...and lots of good advice," said Dr. Atkinson.

Elizabeth Watkins, Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor, also welcomed new faculty members and spoke about UC Riverside's collaborative spirit. "You are surrounded by some pretty amazing colleagues," said Dr. Watkins. "This is a very supportive college."

Dr. Watkins added, "It's exciting to me that every single department at CNAS has new faculty members!"

For Daniel Petras, who arrived on campus last January as a new Assistant Professor of Biochemistry, CNAS has already proven to be a wonderful academic community.

"UC Riverside has been a fantastic environment," said Dr. Petras. "It's very supportive. We got our lab up and running and have many collaborative projects throughout campus already. It's been a great experience so far!"

CNAS' new faculty members include:

Ellie Armstrong, Assistant Professor in the Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, received her Ph.D. in Biology from Stanford University. Previously, she obtained an M.S. in Tropical Conservation Biology from the University of Hawaii, Hilo. Her research focuses on the evolution of large carnivores and the impacts of intense global change on these sensitive populations. Her lab will continue to use cutting-edge genomic tools to evaluate the genetic health of at-risk species, as well as the general impacts of captivity and long-term, small population size.

Eric Barefoot, Assistant Professor of Geology in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, earned his doctorate in Earth Sciences from Rice University. He studies Earth’s landscapes and sedimentary rocks, broadly interested in how strata accumulate to create an archive of Earth’s history. He works in modern landscapes to better understand sediment transport processes and works in rock outcrops to learn about Earth’s ancient past. He uses hypotheses generated in the real world to develop computer models of sedimentary environments, and tests those models with scaled laboratory experiments.

Trevor Bolduc, Assistant Professor of Teaching in the Department of Chemistry, received his doctorate in organic chemistry from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. During his graduate studies, he instructed second-year students in both major and non-major organic chemistry laboratory courses. His research interests include alternative grading to improve student proficiency and reduce equity gaps, and organic chemistry education app development in support of alternative modes to learning.

Bryan Brown, Assistant Professor of Computational Biology in the Department of Molecular, Cell, and Systems Biology, received his doctorate from Duke University and performed his postdoctoral training at Seattle Children's Hospital and the University of Washington. His group will focus on studying and manipulating interactions between endogenous bacteria and viruses and the immune system to improve health outcomes in women and infants.

Xu Cao, Assistant Professor of Teaching in the Department of Statistics, received his Ph.D. in Statistics from the University of North Carolina-Charlotte. Dr. Cao's research focuses on survival analysis. Dr. Cao is passionate about developing innovative teaching methods to engage students, and his research explores the applications of survival analysis in various fields, including healthcare.

Christopher Catano, Assistant Professor & Plant Ecologist in the Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, received his doctorate in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at Washington University in St. Louis. He also was a Postdoctoral Fellow at Emory University and Michigan State University. Dr. Catano’s research seeks to understand how biodiversity and ecological communities respond to environmental change, and the consequences of these changes for ecosystem functioning and resilience. His research integrates approaches spanning experimental ecology, quantitative modeling, and remote sensing to both advance fundamental theory and scale up capacities to guide ecosystem restoration and conservation.

Laura Catano, Assistant Professor of Teaching, Department of Evolution, Ecology & Organismal Biology, received her doctorate at Florida International University. where she studied marine community ecology. Dr. Catano has worked in higher education teaching biology for over twelve years, most recently at Emory University in Atlanta, GA. She is interested in developing biology curricula with active-learning and learner-centered approaches that promote and retain diverse students in the field of science.

Sonali Chaturvedi, Assistant Professor of Virology in the Department of Microbiology & Plant Pathology, did her Ph.D. in virology at UC Riverside before joining J David Gladstone Institutes in San Francisco for postdoctoral research. Her group deciphers genetic circuits pivotal in determining viral fates with the mission to not only understand the architecture of the fate-dictating genetic circuits, but leverages these design principles to engineer indomitable therapies — therapies envisioned to outsmart viral evolution with a towering genetic barrier. With a particular intrigue in the shadowy realm of latency, oncogenesis, developmental disorders associated with DNA viruses and the transmission mechanics of pandemic potential RNA viruses, her group is resolute to dive deep, exploring, understanding, and innovating to make the next-generation medicine for clinically relevant viral pathogens.

Yuzhou Chen, Assistant Professor of Statistics in the Department of Statistics, served as an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Computer and Information Sciences at Temple University and a Visiting Research Collaborator in Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Princeton University. Before that, Dr. Chen worked as a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Princeton University. Dr. Chen received his Ph.D. in Statistics from Southern Methodist University.

Steve Choi, Assistant Professor of Physics in the Department of Physics & Astronomy, received his doctorate in physics from Princeton University. Prior to joining UC Riverside, he was an NSF Postdoctoral Fellow at Cornell University. Choi’s research focuses on experimental and observational cosmology, particularly in the development of superconducting detectors for precise observations of the cosmic microwave background, the remnant radiation from the Big Bang. At UC Riverside, Choi plans to develop more sensitive astronomical instrumentation to address fundamental questions about our universe.

Wei-Chun Chou, Assistant Professor of Environmental Health in the Department of Environmental Sciences, received his Ph.D. from National Tsing Hua University and completed postdoctoral training at Kansas State University. His research focuses on computational modeling, particularly physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models, machine learning, and artificial intelligence (AI) in environmental toxicology and human health. He has pioneered AI methods for predicting chemical toxicity and developed models for nanomedicine and protein interactions to enhance tumor delivery. Dr. Chou was awarded an NIH R03 Grant for his innovative research and serves on the Science Advisory Board (SAB) of the U.S. EPA. He has published over 65 peer-reviewed papers and is active in the Society of Toxicology.

Luciano Cosme, Assistant Professor in the Department of Entomology, earned a Ph.D. in Entomology from Texas A&M University in 2015. Before joining UCR, he spent nine years at Yale University as a postdoctoral associate and research scientist, conducting research on mosquitoes. His work focuses on the natural genetic variation of mosquito traits important for arbovirus transmission, photoperiodic diapause, and insecticide resistance. By exploring how genetic variation is generated and maintained in natural populations, he aims to develop innovative strategies for managing mosquito vectors and reducing the burden of mosquito-borne diseases.

Brian Duistermars, Assistant Professor of Teaching in the Department of Molecular, Cell & Systems Biology, grew up on a dairy farm in the Inland Empire and received his bachelor's degree in Molecular, Cell & Developmental Biology at UC Riverside. He then received his Ph.D. from UCLA studying fly flight and went on to a postdoc at Caltech studying fly aggression. Dr. Duistermars returns to UC Riverside after teaching at The Claremont Colleges for several years.

Ahmed El-Moghazy, Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist of Food Safety in the Department of Microbiology & Plant Pathology, received his doctorate in developing electrochemical biosensors for food safety applications from Alexandria University and University of Perpignan, France. Before joining UC Riverside, he was a postdoctoral scholar at UC Davis. He leads research and extension efforts to create a robust food system that meet the growing and safety demands for food in California. His research efforts focus on reducing food safety risks through developing innovative sensors for sample-to-answer monitoring potential biological and chemical food contaminants as well as developing light-induced antimicrobial matrices to control microbial contamination in food supply chains.

Tamara Harms, Associate Professor, Department of Environmental Sciences, is an ecosystem ecologist and biogeochemist interested in the effects of spatial heterogeneity and hydrologic flowpaths on elemental cycles. She has studied desert riparian zones and streams, urban ecosystems, and boreal and arctic catchments. Current foci include: biogeochemical indicators of ecosystem resilience; responses of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycles to permafrost thaw; and influences of fire and hydrologic regimes on desert streams.

Bao-Lam Huynh, Assistant Professor of Nematology in the Department of Nematology, earned his doctorate in plant science at the University of Adelaide, Australia. His research is focused on host plant resistance and crop breeding for nematode resistance. He believes strongly in the sustainability benefits of resistant crops; they reduce reliance on pesticides, thus contributing to cleaner air, cheaper production, safer food, and increased demand and consumption. His research covers from germplasm diversity analysis and selection, resistance phenotyping, genetic mapping, gene discovery, marker-assisted breeding, release of new varieties, to outreach activities to promote adoption.

Sunil Kenchanmane Raju, Assistant professor in the Department of Botany and Plant Sciences,earned his doctorate from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and completed postdoc training at Michigan State University and New York University. His research focuses on understanding the evolution of environmental adaptation in crops by utilizing information from stress-adapted wild relatives through comparative epigenomics and single-cell omics. He is passionate about training and mentoring the next generation of plant scientists through his organizations, Plant Postdocs and Plant Grad, which provide resources and mentoring support to early-career scientists worldwide.

Siting Liu, Assistant Professor of Mathematics in the Department of Mathematics, earned her PhD in mathematics from UCLA. Liu's research focuses on mathematical modeling and computational techniques, particularly in mean-field games and mean-field control models. She develops efficient computational methods that leverage machine learning and mesh-based techniques to solve partial differential equations. Her work spans various applications in data science, machine learning, and engineering, aiming to provide advanced modeling tools and practical solutions to complex, real-world problems.

Xiaoqian Liu, Assistant Professor of Statistics in the Department of Statistics, spent two years as a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center before joining UC Riverside. Xiaoqian received her Ph.D. in Statistics from North Carolina State University in 2022. Her research interests broadly encompass statistical machine learning, computational statistics and optimization, and their applications in bioinformatics and cancer biology, including mutation annotation, transcriptomic deconvolution, and tumor heterogeneity and evolution.

Samuel Mann, Assistant Professor of Inorganic Chemistry in the Department of Chemistry, received his B.S. in Chemistry from California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo. Sam received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from UC Irvine with Prof. Andy Borovik where he developed artificial Cu proteins to understand the effects of non-covalent interactions on synthetic metal complexes. He then expanded on his graduate work as an NIH Postdoctoral Fellow in the lab of Prof. Bill DeGrado at UC San Francisco. At UCSF he designed de novo protein scaffolds to tune of function of metalloporphyrins and photo-oxidants. In his independent career, Sam aims to merge (bio)inorganic chemical principles with protein design to construct new metalloproteins from scratch that help build structure-function relationships for natural metalloproteins and develop design principles for new-to-nature function.

Pedro Martinez, Assistant Professor in Soil Science & Pedaology in the Department of Environmental Sciences, received his doctorate in soil science at Oregon State University. He is a broadly trained soil scientist with an interest in applying fundamental knowledge to investigate soil genesis, landscape evolution, and soil records of past environments. He previously worked as a postdoctoral at the Jornada Experimental Range, USDA/ARS. He seeks to continue developing research and teaching activities focused on soil-landscape evolution models to unravel past and future Earth system reactions to changing environmental conditions.

Filippo Mazzoli, Assistant Professor of Mathematics in the Department of Mathematics, received his Ph.D. in Mathematics at the University of Luxembourg, after which he worked for three years at the University of Virginia as a Whyburn Research Associate and Lecturer. He spent the last academic year at the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences in Leipzig, Germany. Dr. Mazzoli is interested in geometric structures arising from representations of surface groups inside non-compact Lie groups, such as hyperbolic and anti-de Sitter 3-manifolds. The study of such objects often relies on tools from many different areas of mathematics, such as differential geometry, dynamical systems, and low dimensional topology, and finds applications in theoretical physics, for instance in general relativity and quantum field theory.

Jeffrey S. Meyer, Assistant Professor of Teaching in the Department of Mathematics, earned his doctorate in mathematics from the University of Michigan. Before coming to UC Riverside, he was faculty for many years at the University of Oklahoma and then at California State University, San Bernardino. Dr. Meyer’s mathematical research brings together tools from a broad collection of mathematical areas, such as geometry, linear algebra, and number theory to solve problems. Much of his recent work has been in spectral and systolic geometry. Parallel to Dr. Meyer’s mathematics is his research in mathematics education and his passion for teaching. He uses frameworks coming from cognitive psychology to understand student thinking within mathematics and uses these understandings to inform and enhance the courses he teaches.

Adam Norris, Assistant Professor of Biochemistry in the Department of Biochemistry, investigates how RNA splicing is regulated in unique ways in individual neurons. He is also a “professional” pianist and an amateur volleyball player. He grew up in Orange County and is excited to be back in SoCal after nearly 20 years of living in various other states.

Megan L. Norris, Assistant Professor of Biochemistry in the Department of Biochemistry, earned her doctorate in Biology from Harvard University. She completed her post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, where she uncovered how subcellular RNA localization regulates downstream binding partner specificity of the encoded protein and the ability of cells to migrate. Dr. Norris’s group works to understand how RNA localization is established and maintained, specifically in cell protrusions, and how RNA localization affects healthy vertebrate development as well as diseases such as congenital birth defects and cancer.

Saverio Perri, Assistant Professor of Environmental Sciences in the Department of Environmental Sciences at UC Riverside, specializes in water-biota interactions in water-limited and salt-affected ecosystems. His research integrates physically-based modeling with observational systems to explore global land-use trends, salinity impacts, and ecohydrology. Dr. Perri has held postdoctoral fellowships at the Santa Fe Institute and Princeton University, and his work addresses the sustainability of ecosystems under climate stress, balancing food, water, and energy security. His interdisciplinary approach advances understanding of coupled human-natural systems and their resilience to environmental change.

Daniel Petras, Assistant Professor of Biochemistry in the Department of Biochemistry, earned his master’s degree in Biotechnology from the University of Applied Science Darmstadt and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the Technical University Berlin in 2016. After postdoctoral work at UC San Diego, focusing on environmental metabolomics, he founded the Functional Metabolomics Lab as an independent junior research group at the University of Tübingen in 2021. In 2024, he and his group moved to UC Riverside. His research centers on developing mass spectrometry-based techniques to study chemical interactions within microbial communities.

Crystal Reynaga, Assistant Professor in the Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, received her doctorate in biomechanics at the University of California, Irvine. Her work investigates questions that lie at the intersection of musculoskeletal physiology, neuromechanics, and movement. Her research program aims to understand animal locomotion in complex environments by using integrative experimental approaches, such as biological materials testing and imaging. Her research spans across different levels of biological organization, from microscopy of collagen organization to exploring how tendons passively impact control in whole-body movements.

Elizabeth Rowen, Assistant Professor in the Department of Entomology, received her doctorate in Entomology from The Pennsylvania State University. She worked as an assistant professor in the Division of Plant and Soil Science at West Virginia University. Her work focuses on insect agroecology. She is specifically interested in the ways in which soil management practices like cover crops, tillage, and fertilization practices can influence insect pests and predators. She is also interested in how livestock management can affect nutrient cycling by arthropod decomposers (dung beetles!) in pastures and rangelands.

Jason Rothman, Assistant Professor of Teaching in Microbiology in the Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, earned his doctorate in microbiology at UC Riverside and undergraduate and master’s degrees at Cal Poly Pomona. Prior to returning to UC Riverside, he taught biology courses at Cal Poly Pomona and served as a postdoctoral fellow at UCI, studying the human oral microbiome and wastewater epidemiology. He researches microbial ecology in environmental and host-associated systems, and the impacts of active learning and mentorship on student motivation in microbiology and bioinformatics.

Emma Rova Danelius, Assistant Professor of Chemistry in the Department of Chemistry, received her doctorate in chemistry at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. Before joining UC Riverside, she was a postdoctoral fellow at UCLA in the Department of Biological Chemistry. Her research is at the interface of chemistry and biology with a special focus on molecular structures and interactions. At UC Riverside, research in her group will aim to solve challenging structures of bioactive compounds beyond the traditional drug space, as well as their protein targets.

Meredith VanAcker, Assistant Professor of Disease Ecology in the Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, received her doctorate in ecology and evolution from Columbia University. Prior to joining UCR, VanAcker was a George E. Burch Postdoctoral Fellow under Smithsonian Institution's Global Health Program where she researched virus spillover risk at wildlife-livestock interfaces. Research in her group will integrate wildlife movement ecology, epidemiology, and community ecology to examine how animal hosts respond to global changes like urbanization and deforestation to impact vector-borne and zoonotic disease emergence.

Morgan Weiler, Assistant Professor of Teaching in the Department of Mathematics, received her doctorate in mathematics from UC Berkeley. Morgan's work focuses on leveraging symmetry to study the dynamics and embedding properties of low-dimensional symplectic manifolds. At UC Riverside, she plans to develop further computational techniques and to use Reeb dynamics to characterize three-dimensional manifolds.

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New Faculty

CNAS Welcomes New Faculty to the 2023 Academic Year

tomwt — Mon, 23 Oct 2023 22:26:19 +0000

CNAS Welcomes New Faculty to the 2023 Academic Year tomwt Mon, 10/23/2023 - 15:26 More College News October 23, 2023

This fall, the College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences at UC Riverside welcomes fifteen new faculty members to CNAS. This new cohort of faculty brings an infusion of energy, experiences, and expertise in the fields of biochemistry, biology, ecology, entomology, mathematics, microbiology and plant pathology, physics and astronomy, and statistics. We celebrate each new faculty member and look forward to the impact they will make at UC Riverside. Join us in welcoming the following new faculty members to UC Riverside’s College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences.

Selene Bobadilla, an assistant professor of teaching in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, earned her doctorate in biochemistry and molecular biology at UCR. She has taught molecular biology lecture and lab for five years at Chapman University and was involved in student mentoring. Her research interests include effective course design that promotes active learning, student networking, community building, inclusivity, and a sense of belonging.

Elisa Cabrera-Guzmán, an assistant professor of teaching in the Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, received her doctorate at the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Sydney, Australia. She has studied the effect of invasive species on native animal species, biological interactions such as competition, predation, and parasitism, ecology of freshwater environments, and effects of habitat fragmentation on communities and populations in the rainforest. Cabrera-Guzmán has primarily worked with amphibians and reptiles, but she has studied invertebrates and other groups of vertebrates as well. Her research has integrated observational and experimental work across a variety of environments in Mexico, Australia, Spain, and the U.S.

Bodil Cass, an assistant professor in the Department of Entomology, received her doctorate in entomology and insect science from the University of Arizona. Her focus is on integrated pest management of subtropical fruits. She leads research and extension efforts to improve the sustainability of citrus, avocado, and other specialty fruit crop production in California through better management of arthropod pests and vectors of plant pathogens. Her research approach employs a mix of ecoinformatics, and traditional field ecology and laboratory experiments, working directly with growers and pest-control advisors.

Andrew Joe, an assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, received his doctorate in physics from Harvard University. Joe's work focuses on using unique optical and optoelectronic techniques to study novel electronic and excitonic states in 2D materials. At UCR, he plans to use these techniques to study the underlying physics behind new types of 2D material heterostructures and develop the next generation of optoelectronic quantum devices.

Adam Jozwiak, an assistant professor in the Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, received his doctorate in plant biochemistry from the Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the Polish Academy of Sciences in Poland. His work focuses on studying the complex chemistry of plants and their metabolites, trying to understand the multifunctional enzymes that modify the structure of these molecules such as through hydroxylations, oxidations, glycosylations, and acylations. Through his research, he aims to unlock the potential of these natural products for biotechnological and agricultural applications.

Alfonso Landeros, an assistant professor in the Department of Statistics, earned his doctorate in biomathematics at UCLA. Drawing inspiration from mathematical optimization, computing, and applied mathematics in general, his research seeks to expand the reach of statistical methods to the scale of modern data sets. Landeros is broadly interested in scientific applications that include cancer, immunology, and genomics.

Daniel Moen, an assistant professor with the Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, received his doctorate in ecology and evolution from Stony Brook University. Prior to UCR, Moen was an associate professor at Oklahoma State University. Moen’s research focuses on the evolution of morphological diversity and biomechanical systems, primarily in anurans (frogs and toads). His research answers questions about evolution at or above the species level by using phylogenetic comparative analyses and statistical modeling.

William Neary, an assistant professor of organic chemistry, received his doctorate in organic chemistry at Florida State University. Before joining UCR, he was a postdoctoral associate at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His research interests are in the areas of polymer chemistry, organic chemistry, and organometallic chemistry. Research in his group will aim to solve grand challenges in society by focusing on the design of new recyclable platforms for polymeric materials and the metathesis polymerization of nonconventional substrates.

Olakunle Olawole, an assistant professor in the Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, received his doctorate at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. Before joining UCR, he was a postdoctoral research associate at Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas. Olawole’s expertise has primarily been with phytopathogenic bacteria, and particularly those causing vascular wilts in both vegetable crops and trees. He is interested in understanding the genetics, genomics, and physiology of their interactions with plants and insect vectors.

Sarah Radi, an assistant professor of teaching in the Department of Biochemistry, received her doctorate in biochemistry and molecular biology from UCR. Her dissertation focused on intermittent fasting and the keto diet's effects on liver specific gene expression. She is interested in developing and implementing active learning techniques and manipulating examination techniques to aid in student success.

Maziar Raissi, an assistant professor of applied mathematics, received his doctorate in applied mathematics and statistics and scientific computations from the University of Maryland, College Park. He worked at NVIDIA in Silicon Valley as a senior software engineer before joining the University of Colardo, Boulder, as an assistant professor of applied mathematics. His expertise lies at the intersection of probabilistic machine learning, deep learning, and data driven scientific computing. He has been involved in the design of learning machines that leverage the underlying physical laws and/or governing equations to extract patterns from high-dimensional data generated from experiments.

Jose Sanchez Gomez, an assistant professor in the Department of Statistics, received his doctorate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His research interest is in high-dimensional data modeling and inference. He has developed statistical methods for the detection of structure in large graphical models and the testing of variable relationship networks. Sanchez Gomez has participated in consulting projects with professionals from a variety of disciplines, such as marine science, public policy, information technology, and journalism.

Shana Welles, an assistant professor of teaching in the Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, received her doctorate in plant biology at UCR. She previously completed a grand challenges initiative postdoctoral fellowship at Chapman University and spent two years as an academic coordinator at UCR. Her research interests include exploring ways to increase student engagement and success and expanding opportunities for course-based research experience.

Jiue-in Yang, an assistant professor in the Department of Nematology, earned her doctorate in microbiology and plant pathology at UCR. She worked as an assistant research specialist at UCR’s Department of Botany and Plant Sciences and later established her own lab at the National Taiwan University in Taiwan, where she advanced to associate professor. Yang is the recipient of the Ta-You Wu Memorial Award in Taiwan and represented Taiwan to compete in the 2023 APEC ASPIRE Award. She is interested in microbe-plant nematode interactions and plant nematode adaptation. Her lab will study biological control mechanisms, nematode-suppressive soils, and the physiological reactions of plant nematodes under environmental stress.

Huimin Zhang, an assistant professor of immunology in the Department of Molecular, Cell, and Systems Biology, earned her doctorate in biochemistry from UCLA. She completed postdoctoral fellowships at The Scripps Research Institute and Stanford University, revealing how aging shapes the epigenetic landscape of human T cells. Zhang’s group seeks to understand how immune homeostasis is maintained and the impact of aging on the immune system. They study the fundamental principles governing the communication between the key players of the immune system, and how the immune system adapts to various environment challenges such as aging.

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CNAS Welcomes New Faculty to the 2022 Academic Year

joanny — Mon, 19 Sep 2022 19:23:01 +0000

CNAS Welcomes New Faculty to the 2022 Academic Year joanny Mon, 09/19/2022 - 12:23 More College News September 19, 2022

This fall, the College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences at UC Riverside welcomes seven new faculty members to CNAS. This new cohort of faculty brings an infusion of energy, experiences, and expertise in the fields of chemistry, mathematics, physics and astronomy, and statistics. We celebrate each new faculty member and look forward to the impact they will make at UC Riverside. Join us in welcoming the following new faculty members to UC Riverside’s College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences.

Zhe Fei, Assistant Professor in the Department of Statistics. After receiving his Ph.D. in Biostatistics from University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, he spent three years at the UCLA Biostatistics Department as an Assistant Professor In-Residence. His research interests include Statistical Methodology for Big Data, High dimensional modeling and inference, Machine Learning and Deep Learning methods for medical images, Survival analysis, longitudinal analysis, among others. He has a wide range of collaborations with bioinformaticians, epidemiologists, psychiatrists, ophthalmologists on various projects in genetics, epigenetics, and other medical areas.

Joshua D. Hartman, Assistant Professor of Teaching in the Department of Chemistry, earned his Ph.D. in computational chemistry at the University of California, Riverside. He has taught general chemistry for six years at Mt. San Jacinto College, served as the Chemistry Department Chair for two years, and worked as a machine learning software developer. His research interests include using technology to explore ways to improve student engagement and success, method development work in computational chemistry, and expanding undergraduate research opportunities.

Wei Vivian Li is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Statistics. Before joining UCR, she was an Assistant Professor at Rutgers Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology for three years. Vivian obtained her Ph.D. degree in Statistics from the University of California, Los Angeles, and received her B.S. in Statistics from Huazhong University of Science and Technology. Vivian's research team is interested in statistical modeling, machine learning, and algorithm development, as well as their applications to high-throughput sequencing data in bioinformatics and clinical research. Her recent research has contributed a series of computational models and tools for analyzing and interpreting single-cell genomic data.

Yiwei Wang, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematics, earned his Ph.D. in Computational Mathematics at Peking University in China. His research centers around mathematical modeling and scientific computing with applications in physics, material science, biology, and data science. His current research interests include (1) multiscale modeling and simulation of complex fluids; (2) structure-preserving variational numerical methods for gradient flows and generalized diffusions; (3) nonequilibrium thermodynamics and its application; (4) machine learning, especially probabilistic Inference.

Shawn Westerdale is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. He earned his Ph.D. from Princeton University in 2016 and did postdoctoral work at Carleton University in Ottawa, at Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Cagliari in Sardinia, and at Princeton. His work focuses on directly detecting dark matter by building multi-tonne detectors with ultra-low levels of radioactive contamination and placing them in deep underground laboratories, largely with the DEAP and DarkSide collaborations. At UCR, Shawn plans to continue searching for dark matter with these detectors while performing R&D to design lower threshold detectors and to develop low-background techniques. He is also interested in applying these technologies to study neutrinos from various sources.

Sarah Yeakel, Assistant Professor of Teaching in the Department of Mathematics, earned her Ph.D. at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Before joining UCR, she was a postdoc at the University of Maryland and spent a year at the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute. Her research is in algebraic topology, an area of pure mathematics which uses algebraic invariants to determine whether a space can be deformed to another. In particular, she is interested in using homotopy theory to investigate differences between geometric objects.

Agnieszka Zelerowicz is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematics. After earning her Ph.D. from the Pennsylvania State University, she worked as a Brin postdoctoral fellow at the University of Maryland. Her research interests lie in the theory of dynamical systems, more specifically in smooth ergodic theory and thermodynamic formalism. One of her biggest current projects is devoted to the study of certain chaotic billiards.

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New Faculty

CNAS Welcomes New 2021-2022 Faculty

joanny — Tue, 21 Sep 2021 19:01:13 +0000

CNAS Welcomes New 2021-2022 Faculty joanny Tue, 09/21/2021 - 12:01 More College News September 21, 2021

The College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at UC Riverside is proud to welcome new faculty members to CNAS. Their expertise in sciences plays a major role in what the CNAS community can expect when they return to campus this fall and in the years ahead. Our newest faculty members join a growing roster of well-renowned scientists dedicated to the CNAS mission of expanding fundamental scientific knowledge in the biological, physical, mathematical, and agricultural sciences by finding innovative ways to apply that knowledge through teaching and public service. Learn more about each of our new faculty members below.

Simon C. “Niels” Groen, Assistant Professor of Evolutionary Systems Biology in the Department of Nematology, earned his Ph.D. in plant sciences at the University of Cambridge, UK. He then studied the evolution of resistance to milkweed toxins in the monarch butterfly as a post-doc at the University of Arizona and UC Berkeley, before investigating natural selection on gene expression in rice at New York University as a Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation fellow. Niels’ group at UC Riverside studies the evolution of interactions between parasitic nematodes and their host plants (including rice, tomato, and their wild relatives). Their research aims to unravel this complex evolutionary tug-of-war using a combination of laboratory and field experiments. Focusing on the central role that plant chemicals play, his group uses omics technologies and analytical approaches from evolutionary and systems biology to zoom in at the molecular level.

Maria Ninova is assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry. After majoring in molecular biology, she earned her Ph.D. in Bioinformatics from the University of Manchester, UK, and worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the California Institute of Technology. Her research interests lie at the intersection of several disciplines including genomics, developmental, chromatin and RNA biology, with specific emphasis on the molecular mechanisms that regulate epigenetic modifications in animal development.

Kate Ostevik, assistant professor in the Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, earned her Ph.D. in Botany at the University of British Columbia. Her research centers on the fields of speciation, evolutionary ecology, and population genetics. She is particularly interested in how reproductive barriers, hybridization, and genome architecture influence the diversification of flowering plants.

Mykhailo Potomkin, an assistant professor in the Department of Mathematics, earned his Ph.D. in mathematical physics at the Kharkiv State University in Ukraine. He received his postdoctoral training in the Pennsylvania State University. He is currently an applied mathematician, and his principal area of research is modeling, analysis, and numerical simulation of problems involving differential equations, with applications in physics and biology. His recent work is devoted to individual and collective aspects of micro-swimming of both living organisms, like motile bacteria or eukaryotic cells, and biomimetic swimming microrobots.

Jonathan Richardson, assistant professor in the Department of Physics & Astronomy, received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in 2016. Before joining UCR, he was a postdoc at the California Institute of Technology. His research interests are in experimental tests of gravity and probing the nature of black holes. In support of these goals, his group is developing new technologies aimed at extending the astrophysical reach of gravitational wave detectors, at the frontier of precision optical measurement. He is a member of the LIGO Scientific Collaboration and the Cosmic Explorer Consortium.

Kieran Samuk, assistant professor of biology in the Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, earned his Ph.D. in Zoology from the University of British Columbia and was a postdoctoral fellow at Duke University. His research is focused on understanding the genetic changes that allow organisms to adapt to new environments, as well as those involved in the formation of new species. His recent work has specifically focused on the complex role that meiotic recombination plays in the processes of adaptation and speciation. His lab makes use of a wide variety of approaches, including molecular and computational genomics, field studies, computer simulations, and manipulative experiments.

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Faculty

Welcome new CNAS faculty 2020

ilseu — Tue, 22 Sep 2020 14:42:03 +0000

Welcome new CNAS faculty 2020 ilseu Tue, 09/22/2020 - 07:42 More College News CNAS Communications October 01, 2020

Join us in welcoming the newest faculty members to the College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences for the 2020-2021 academic year!

Miguel Arratia, assistant professor of physics in the Department of Physics & Astronomy. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge in 2016. He specializes in experimental nuclear physics. He seeks to understand the origin of the fundamental properties of the atomic nucleus such as its spin, mass, and size. He works in experiments using powerful electron beams, such as those available at the Thomas Jefferson National Laboratory and the future Electron-Ion Collider, to obtain tomographic images of the atomic nucleus at the quantum level.

Ana Bahamonde, assistant professor of organic chemistry in the Department of Chemistry, earned her Ph.D. in organic chemistry at the Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ) in Spain. Her research interests are in the areas of asymmetric catalysis, physical organic chemistry, photochemistry and organometallic chemistry. She works on the development of processes based on ligand-metal cooperativity to facilitate the controlled formation of highly reactive species to enable mechanistically distinct reactions aimed to solve challenging problems in organic synthesis.

Brian Collier, assistant professor in the Department of Mathematics, earned his Ph.D. in pure mathematics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. His research interests are in differential geometry and algebraic geometry. Most of his work has focused on the Nonabelian Hodge correspondence which links certain classical geometric objects such as hyperbolic geometry with holomorphic objects called Higgs bundles. He is particularly interested in problems that rely on the interplay of many areas of math such as dynamical systems, gauge theory, low dimensional topology, PDEs, Lie theory, and geometric group theory.

Analisa Flores, assistant professor of teaching in the Department of Statistics, earned her Ph.D. in statistics at University of California, Riverside. She previously taught as a Lecturer in the Department of Statistics at University of California, Riverside for 10 years. Her research interests are in undergraduate education, effective course design, and student engagement and success.

Patricio Gallardo earned his Ph.D. in Mathematics from Stony Brook University with a focus on Algebraic Geometry. He was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Georgia at Athens. Afterward, he continued his postdoctoral training at Washington University in St Louis. Within geometry, Patricio's research specializes in understanding the behavior of geometric objects within families. How can they transform into each other? What sort of defects - singularities - can it acquire? He joined UC Riverside in 2019 as a visitant researcher. He joined the faculty at UCR in the fall of 2020.

Estela A. Gavosto, professor of teaching in the Department of Mathematics and special advisor to the dean of CNAS in STEM initiatives, earned her Ph.D. at Washington University in St. Louis and completed postdoctoral training at Princeton University and at the University of Michigan. Her mathematical research focused on several complex variables and complex dynamics. She has worked extensively in NIH funded programs that prepare underrepresented students to biomedical research careers. Her main interest is to develop programs that broaden participation in STEM careers.

Ysabel Giraldo is an assistant professor in the Department of Entomology. She earned her Ph.D. in Biology at Boston University with a focus on ecology, behavior, and evolution. Her research interests are in the neurobiological basis of complex insect behaviors. Drawing on her varied experience in ecology, behavior, and neuroscience, her research program takes an integrative approach to understanding insect navigation. Research projects will take advantage of new tools such as machine-vision tracking to compare Drosophila species’ movements and multiphoton microscopy to identify neurons and circuits used during navigation.

Jia Gou, assistant professor in the Department of Mathematics, earned her Ph.D. in applied mathematics at the University of British Columbia. Her research interests are in the areas of mathematical biology and applications of dynamical systems. Her work includes understanding the mechanisms of tissue growth control by constructing and investigating models that involve cellular level details. She is also interested in analyzing mathematical models of spatial and temporal phenomena in biology, using techniques such as asymptotic and perturbation methods, and numerical simulations.

Eloísa Grifo, assistant professor in the Department of Mathematics, received her Ph.D. in 2018 at the University of Virginia. Before joining UCR, she was a postdoc at the University of Michigan. Her research is in commutative algebra, an area of pure mathematics with connections to most other areas of mathematics and that has practical applications in robotics, physics, and computer science. She is broadly interested in the relationship between commutative algebra and homological algebra, algebraic geometry, and arithmetic geometry.

Amy Murillo, assistant professor in the Department of Entomology, earned her Ph.D. from the University of California Riverside. Her research focuses on management of arthropod pests of animals. She is particularly interested in host-ectoparasite interactions in poultry, a system that allows for basic research with agricultural applications. Her lab is currently investigating how
mites and lice affect chicken behavior and welfare.

Edward Schwieterman, assistant professor of astrobiology in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, earned his Ph.D. in astronomy and astrobiology at the University of Washington. His research interests and activities include integrated climate, photochemical, and spectral modeling of terrestrial exoplanets and the analysis of early Earth as an exoplanet analog. He is particularly interested in studying the planetary processes, atmospheric chemistry, and the possible remote biosignatures of exoplanets in their circumstellar habitable zones.

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New Faculty

Welcome New CNAS Faculty 2019

ilseu — Sun, 06 Oct 2019 21:56:00 +0000

Welcome New CNAS Faculty 2019 ilseu Sun, 10/06/2019 - 14:56 More College News CNAS Communications October 30, 2019

A warm welcome to our new CNAS Faculty!

Polly Campbell, assistant professor in the Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, earned her Ph.D. in ecology and evolution at Boston University. She is an evolutionary biologist whose areas of interest include the process of speciation, sex chromosome evolution, and the genetic and epigenetic basis of behavior.

Heyrim Cho, assistant professor of mathematics in the Department of Mathematics, earned her Ph.D. in applied mathematics at Brown University. Her research interests and activities are in the areas of mathematical biology, scientific computing, and uncertainty quantification. The application of her work includes modeling problems in mathematical oncology to improve anticancer treatment and overcome drug resistance. She is interested in modeling multi-scale biological systems driven from genetic data to medical images, and characterizing effects of the underlying uncertainty for comprehensive mathematical modeling and a better understanding of biological mechanisms.

Ashraf El-Kereamy is a cooperative extension specialist in the Department of Botany and Plant Sciences at UC Riverside. He is hosted by the University of California Agricultural and Natural Resources (UCANR) at Lindcove Research and Extension Center (LREC). His primary responsibility is citrus horticulture and to develop a comprehensive local, as well as statewide, research and extension educational program. This program will help the citrus industry in maximizing its production and improving its efficiency while facing ongoing and emerging challenges. During the past four years, before joining the UCR, El-Kereamy worked as a Viticulture Advisor serving Kern County. El-kereamy majored in Horticulture at Ain Shams University, Egypt, obtained a Master of Science in Pomology from the same university, and later acquired a Ph.D. in Agriculture with an emphasis in Grapevine Physiology and Molecular Biology from Toulouse University, France. He earned his Ph.D. at one of the most remarkable plant hormone laboratories in Europe and became a well-known author of ethylene and anthocyanin production in grapes. He has extensive post-doctoral research experience in several commodities revolving around plant hormones, fruit ripening, plant nutrition and the responses of different plant species to Abiotic stress conditions.

Yingzhuo Fu, assistant professor of teaching in the Department of Statistics, earned her Ph.D. in statistics at University of California, Riverside. She previously worked as a data scientist in MarketShare, LA then taught in NYU Shanghai. Her core teaching philosophy is that intrinsic motivation brings out the best learning experience. Her research interests are in the areas of data mining, change-point detection for discrete data with various applications in network surveillance, digital marketing, consumer behavior analysis with big data.

Natalie Holt, assistant professor of physiology in the Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, earned their Ph.D. at the University of Leeds. Their work takes a comparative, multi-scale approach to understanding the basic mechanisms of muscle contraction, and role that they have in shaping animal morphology, physiology and behaviour.

Chow-Yang Lee, professor and Endowed Presidential Chair in Urban Entomology at the Department of Entomology, received his Ph.D. in Entomology from Universiti Sains Malaysia in 1996. His research interests center around the behavioral, ecological, and physiological adaptations of urban insect pests, especially understanding how these adaptations help the pests to thrive in the urban environment and their biological trade-offs. He is also interested in the roles of human activities and propagule pressure in invasion history of urban insect pests. Using the research findings obtained, his research team design, evaluate, and integrate multiple management tactics to provide a system-level approach towards urban pest management.

Danelle Seymour, assistant professor of genetics in the Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, earned her Ph.D. in biology at the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology in Tübingen, Germany. Her research interests include understanding how plant genome evolution shapes the genetic basis of complex traits with a focus on the genetic improvement of citrus. She utilizes modern genetic and statistical genomic tools to ensure that citrus varieties will withstand future shifts in environmental conditions while maintaining desirable agronomic and consumer fruit quality traits.

Timothy Su, assistant professor of chemistry in the Department of Chemistry, received his B.S. in Chemistry from UC Berkeley, where he worked in Prof. Jean Fréchet's laboratory developing soft materials for hydrogels and solar cells. Su ventured out to New York City and obtained his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Columbia University with Prof. Colin Nuckolls in 2016 as an NSF Graduate Research Fellow. In his graduate work, he leveraged principles from synthetic and physical organosilicon chemistry to devise new forms and concepts for single-molecule wires, insulators, and conductance switches. Su returned to UC Berkeley as an NIH Postdoctoral Fellow in Prof. Chris Chang's laboratory, where he developed optical sensors and metal delivery agents for interrogating copper biology. In his independent career, Su aims to synthesize atomically-defined silicon, germanium, and tin nanoclusters and nanoribbons for quantum electronic applications, as well as soft materials and chemical probes for expansion microscopy-based super-resolution bioimaging.

Linlin Zhao, assistant professor of chemistry in the Department of Chemistry, earned his B.S. in Chemistry from Jilin University in 2005 and Ph.D. in Bioanalytical Chemistry from University of Connecticut in 2010. His research focuses on understanding the chemical and molecular mechanisms of DNA-protein interactions in the context of DNA replication and repair. He seeks to apply the fundamental principles of human genomic maintenance to the development of novel therapeutics for human diseases.

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Welcome to new CNAS faculty 2016

ilseu — Tue, 09 Jul 2019 18:24:01 +0000

Welcome to new CNAS faculty 2016 ilseu Tue, 07/09/2019 - 11:24 More College News October 27, 2016

Hoori Ajami

Hoori Ajami, assistant professor of groundwater hydrology in the Department of Environmental Sciences, earned her Ph.D. in hydrology at University of Arizona. Her research interests are in the areas of catchment hydrology, groundwater recharge, surface water-groundwater interactions, distributed hydrologic modeling, and geographic information science. She works on the development and implementation of computationally efficient methods for hydrologic modeling, climate change impact assessments on terrestrial hydrologic processes and ecohydrology at a catchment to regional scales.

Mark Alber

Mark Alber, distinguished professor of mathematics in the Department of Mathematics, earned his Ph.D. in mathematics at University of Pennsylvania His research interests include computational and mathematical biology, biophysics, applied mathematics, multi-scale modeling and mathematical physics. In particular, he works on the development and computational implementation of multi-scale models of biological processes involved in early development, blood clotting, microtubule dynamics and bacterial swarming. He was elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in 2011. He is currently a deputy editor of the PloS Computational Biology and associate editor of the Bulletin of Mathematical Biology. He is also section editor of the Encyclopedia of Applied and Computational Mathematics recently published by Springer.

Igor Barsukov

Igor Barsukov, assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, earned his Ph.D. in physics at the University Duisburg-Essen in Germany. His research interests are in the area of experimental condensed matter physics. His lab designs magnetic nanoscale devices and studies spin dynamics and spin transport using microwave/terahertz spectroscopy. The goal of this research is to provide a better understanding of magnon-phonon interaction and to develop energy-efficient spintronics applications.

Holly Bik

Holly Bik, assistant professor of nematology in the Department of Nematology, earned her Ph.D. in molecular biology at the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom. Her interdisciplinary research interests span a number of scientific fields, including taxonomy, ecology, genomics, computational biology, and data visualization. Her work uses high-throughput DNA sequencing and
-Omics approaches to explore broad patterns in microbial eukaryote assemblages (biodiversity and phylogeography, functional roles for microbial taxa, and the relationship between species and environmental parameters), with an emphasis on free-living nematodes in marine sediments.

Alan Brelsford

Alan Brelsford, assistant professor of evolutionary genomics in the Department of Biology, earned his Ph.D. in zoology at University of British Columbia. His interests include the genetic basis of speciation, behavior, and sex determination in animals such as amphibians, birds, and insects. His research program integrates field, laboratory, and computational methods.

Maryjo Brounce

Maryjo Brounce, assistant professor of petrology in the Department of Earth Sciences, earned her Ph.D. in oceanography at the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography. Her research interests are focused on understanding the composition and structure of the Earth, with a focus on chemical exchange between the deep interior, the crust, and the atmosphere and oceans of Earth. She uses both land and oceanographic field studies, combined with a variety of analytical and experimental tools to probe the composition of sediments and volcanic rocks to place constraints on mechanisms of plate tectonic processes and their impact on the evolution of the composition and structure of Earth on a variety of timescales.

Matt Casselman

Matt Casselman, lecturer with potential security of employment in the Department of Chemistry, earned his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Purdue University in 2013. His research background is in organic synthesis and organic materials for energy storage applications. He currently focuses on chemical education and is developing student-centered active-learning opportunities for use in the organic chemistry course sequence at UCR.

Po-Ning Chen

Po-Ning Chen, assistant professor of mathematics in the Department of Mathematics, earned his Ph.D. in mathematics at Harvard University. His research interests are in the areas of differential geometry and mathematical general relativity. He works on problems arising from general relativity and mathematical physics using the ideas and techniques from geometric analysis and partial differential equations.

Yanou Cui

Yanou Cui, assistant professor of physics in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, earned her Ph.D. in physics at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. Her research interests are in the area of theoretical high energy physics, including elementary particle physics and its interface with cosmology/astrophysics. She works on theoretical model-building addressing outstanding questions such as the hierarchy problem, dark matter and the origin of matter anti-matter asymmetry. Her work also concerns the experimental probes of new particle physics at various frontier experiments such as the Large Hadron Collider, dark matter detectors, neutrino experiments and cosmic microwave background observatories.

Yongtao Cui

Yongtao Cui, assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, earned his Ph.D. degree in applied physics at Cornell University. His research interests focus on study of quantum materials which exhibit unusual electronic properties. These material properties provide opportunities to develop next-generation electronic devices. He employs a variety of experimental techniques to probe the electric and magnetic properties of these materials at nanoscale, which aims to understand the underlying physics that could help improve their performance as well as discover new types of materials.

Katayoon (Katie) Dehesh

Katayoon (Katie) Dehesh, professor and director of the Institute of Integrative Genome Biology, earned her Ph.D. in stress biology at Sussex University, UK. Her interests are in deciphering the molecular and biochemical regulatory mechanisms underlying stress-induced responses that have a central and evolutionarily-conserved role in organismal integrity and adaptation to prevailing environmental conditions. Specifically, she examines how stress signals are sensed, and the mechanisms by which they integrate targeted processes, that collectively culminate in organellar cooperativity, a phenomenon that is an evolutionary necessity for maintenance of cellular homoeostasis. She employs plants as a platform to unravel the signaling network(s) shared by various organisms, to provide an integrated view of the origins and patterns of divergence in adaptive signaling networks.

Stephanie Dingwall

Stephanie Dingwall, professor of teaching in biochemistry, earned her Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of California, Riverside. Her research is focused on the spectrophotometric and kinetic characterization of molybdenum-containing enzymes, employing methods including electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, UV-visible spectroscopy, and rapid-reaction and steady state kinetic assays. As a former community college adjunct instructor, she taught courses ranging from biology and chemistry for non-majors to microbiology for pre-allied health students. Having been a teaching assistant at UCR, she is looking forward to continue working with students at the university.

Marilyn L. Fogel

Marilyn L. Fogel, Wilbur W. Mayhew Professor of Geoecology and the EDGE Institute Director (Environmental Dynamics and Geo-Ecology) in the Earth Science and Environmental Science departments, earned her Ph.D. in botany (marine science) at the University of Texas, Austin. Her interests include cycling of elements in modern and paleo-ecosystems, astrobiology, and stable isotope biogeochemistry. She was elected fellow of the Geochemical Society in 2003. In 2013, she was elected fellow of the AAAS and was awarded the Treibs Medal in Organic Geochemistry. She is currently serving as the president of the Biogeosciences section of the American Geophysical Union.

Heather Ford

Heather Ford, assistant professor of seismology in the Department of Earth Sciences, earned her Ph.D. in geophysics at Brown University. Her research is focused on understanding the physical and chemical properties, structure and dynamics of the Earth’s crust and mantle using passive source seismic imaging techniques. She specializes on problems related to the formation and evolution of the continental lithosphere with an emphasis on stable continental interiors, active transform plate boundaries, and regions of extension.

Emma Gachomo

Emma Gachomo, assistant professor of plant pathology and microbiology in the Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, earned her Ph.D. in Plant Pathology at University of Bonn, Germany. Her research interests are in the areas of plant disease development, soil ecology, microbial ecology, biological control and analytical chemistry. Her work focuses on understanding microbes-microbes interactions and plant-microbe interactions with purposes of improving plant health and productivity.

Jose Gonzalez

Jose Gonzalez, assistant professor of mathematics, earned his Ph.D. in mathematics at the University of Michigan. His research is in algebraic geometry, a central and highly active branch of mathematics. Algebraic geometers study algebraic varieties, which are geometric objects locally given as the solutions to polynomial equations. Algebraic geometry has interactions with most areas of mathematics and it has practical applications to theoretical physics, engineering and computer science. He is broadly interested in algebraic geometry and its interactions with combinatorics, topology and commutative algebra. The central themes of his research are toric geometry, intersection theory and birational geometry. Part of his work is based on the use of combinatorial techniques to investigate concrete questions about varieties that admit the action of an algebraic torus. He has also helped developing concrete aspects of the theory of algebraic cobordism. He has also investigated the algebras called Cox rings using diverse techniques to decide their finite generation.

Amir Haghverdi

Amir Haghverdi, assistant CE specialist/scientist, earned his Ph.D. degrees in irrigation engineering and biosystems engineering at Ferdowsi University of Mashahd and University of Tennessee-Knoxville, respectively. His research at UCR is on urban water management with irrigation engineering, soil hydrology, and precision farming as the main themes. He is interested in applications of advanced data acquisition and mining techniques including remote sensing, GIS and GPS technologies, machine learning and wireless sensors in his research activities. Amir’s goal is to establish an integrated research-extension program that incorporates computer modeling and laboratory/field experiments.

Frederick Hamann

Frederick Hamann, professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, earned his B.S. in astronomy-physics and B.S. in mathematics from the University of Wisconsin and his Ph.D. in astronomy from the State University New York at Stony Brook. His research interests are in astrophysics, specifically quasars and active galaxies, super-massive black holes in galactic nuclei, the formation and evolution of galaxies, accretion and outflow processes in stars and galactic hole environments, the high redshift universe, galactic chemical enrichment, early and late stages of stellar evolution, and spectroscopy with astrophysical applications.

Francesca Hopkins

Francesca Hopkins, assistant professor of climate change and sustainability in the Department of Environmental Sciences, earned her Ph.D. in earth system science from UC Irvine. She is interested in the effects of human activities on the global carbon cycle and climate from an interdisciplinary earth system science perspective. Her research seeks to identify and understand the processes the drive terrestrial carbon emissions from anthropogenic and natural sources using biogeochemical field and laboratory techniques that span the molecular to landscape scale.

Zhenyu Jia

Zhenyu Jia, assistant professor of genetics in the Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, earned his Ph.D. in genetics, genomics and bioinformatics at the University of California, Riverside. His research interests include quantitative genetics and statistical genomes, especially focusing on genomic selection in crops; and bioinformatics and biostatistics in disease studies (e.g., prostate cancer).

Daniel Koenig

Daniel Koenig, assistant professor of genetics in the Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, earned his Ph.D. in genetics at the University of California, Davis, and worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology in Tuebingen, Germany. His research uses the tools of computational and molecular biology to explore the genetic bases of evolutionary change in plants. Recently, he has been particularly interested in understanding the dynamics of plant-pathogen interactions in both experimental and natural evolving populations.

Esra Kurum

Esra Kurum, assistant professor of statistics in the Department of Statistics, earned her Ph.D. in statistics from the Pennsylvania State University in 2012. Her main methodological research areas are regression model building for time series and repeated measures/ longitudinal data. She has been working on modeling changes over time and exploring dynamical regression relationships between variables. Her current interest lies in developing novel statistical models for evaluating vaccine impacts and other interventions related to infectious diseases. Some of her applied work includes modeling the time-varying relationship between several stimuli and the urge to smoke in smoking cessation studies, the association between HIV progression and smoking status, and the effects of pneumococcal vaccines in developing countries.

Sara Lapan

Sara Lapan, assistant professor of teaching mathematics in the Department of Mathematics, earned her Ph.D. in mathematics at the University of Michigan. Her mathematical research lies at the intersection of complex analysis and dynamical systems. More specifically, she studies the long-term dynamical behavior of points near a fixed point when a holomorphic map in several complex variables is iterated and how this behavior depends on the type of holomorphic map. Her focus in mathematics education is in enhancing students' critical thinking skills and creating opportunities for students to actively engage in the material, which is done, in part, through the use of active and collaborative learning.

Kerry Mauck

Kerry Mauck, assistant professor of vector biology in the Department of Entomology, earned her Ph.D. in entomology at Penn State University. Her research interests are in the areas of chemical ecology, insect behavior, plant pathology, and parasite evolution. She works on understanding how pathogenic and non-pathogenic plant-associated microorganisms can alter host phenotypes, the implications of these alterations for the fitness of the interacting organisms, and the broader ecological effects of plant-microbe associations for interactions among plants and insect communities.

Michael Mulligan

Michael Mulligan, assistant professor of physics in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, earned his B.S. and Ph.D. in physics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Stanford University. He is a condensed matter theorist generally interested in all aspects of strongly correlated phenomena, e.g., metallic criticality, topological order, and entanglement in many-body systems.

Dawn Nagel

Dawn Nagel, assistant professor of genetics and genomics in the Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, earned her Ph.D. in Plant Biology from the University of Georgia. Her research is focused on understanding how the circadian clock enables plants to sense and respond to changes in environmental temperature. Mechanistic discoveries from her research will ultimately contribute to the development of crop varieties that are better resistant to harsh temperatures.

David Nelson

David Nelson, Assistant Professor of Genetics in the Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, earned his Ph.D. in genetics at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Following postdoctoral research positions at the University of Western Australia and the Carnegie Institution for Science, he was an assistant professor in the Department of Genetics at the University of Georgia from 2011 to 2016. He is interested in discovering signaling mechanisms used by plants to sense and respond to their environments, and how these signaling mechanisms evolve different functions. His lab has investigated how parasitic plants detect their hosts, and how seeds can sense smoke signals from fire and germinate.

Seán O’Leary

Seán O’Leary, assistant professor of biochemistry in the Department of Biochemistry, earned his Ph.D. in chemistry and chemical biology at Cornell University. His research interests are in the areas of biophysics, enzymology, biomolecular dynamics, nucleic acid–protein interaction, single-molecule fluorescence microscopy, and chemical biology, with applications including cell biology, the molecular basis of disease, and therapeutics. Focusing on eukaryotic translation initiation, he works on understanding how molecular catalysis and dynamics in complex biomolecular assemblies contribute to biological function and regulation, particularly in the post-transcriptional control of gene expression.

Alexander Putman

Alexander Putman, assistant CE specialist and assistant plant pathologist, earned his degrees in agronomy and plant pathology from the University of Connecticut and North Carolina State University, respectively. His research at UCR studies efficient and creative tools for managing diseases of fruit and vegetable crops are critically needed to satisfy increasing consumption demands and environmental and social concerns. With a primary focus on damaging and intractable soil-borne diseases, the Vegetable and Strawberry Pathology Program at UC Riverside will integrate advancing technologies, unexplored niches, and classical methods across several fronts to improve disease management in these crops. The results of this work will be integrated toward development of production systems that maximize the economic, environmental, and social sustainability of vegetable and strawberry crops in California.

Marko Spasojevic

Marko Spasojevic, assistant professor of biology in the Department of Biology, earned his Ph.D. in biology at the University of California, Irvine. He is a plant community ecologist working at the interface of ecology, biogeography and conservation. His goal is to understand the mechanisms that influence patterns of biodiversity, and then to use that understanding to address environmental issues. His research combines observational studies across environmental gradients, field experiments, functional traits, and multivariate statistics to address environmental issues and to explore fundamental questions in ecology.

Flip Tanedo

Flip Tanedo, assistant professor of theoretical particle physics in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, earned his Ph.D. in physics at Cornell University. His research focuses on ways to unravel the particle identity of dark matter and how this relates to our existing framework for fundamental physics. His work has included models of supersymmetry, extra dimensions, and self-interacting dark matter. His research intersects with efforts at particle colliders, gamma-ray telescopes, underground detectors, and low-energy experiments.

Kathryn Uhrich

Kathryn Uhrich, dean of the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences and professor of chemistry, earned her Ph.D. degree from Cornell University. Uhrich began her academic career at Rutgers University with a research program centered on the synthesis and characterization of biocompatible, biodegradable polymers serving a critical need in therapeutics/drug delivery and tissue engineering. Her current research program focuses on designing innovative, bioactive polymers for food, environmental, and personal care applications.

Peng Wei

Peng Wei, assistant professor of physics in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, earned his Ph.D. in physics at University of California, Riverside. He is also a joint faculty to the Materials Science and Engineering program. Before joining UCR, he carried on postdoctoral research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His research interests are in the areas of materials interface physics, low-dimensional material heterostructures, new quasiparticle ground states for future information processing technology including fault tolerant quantum computations, as well as various multi-functional materials. He works on synthesizing atomically controlled thin film layers via molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and producing the associated low-dimensional devices via nanofabrication techniques. He studies emerging new phenomena in these materials utilizing spin dependent electrical transport, quantum coherent quasiparticle tunneling spectroscopy, and Josephson tunneling, etc.

Min Xue

Min Xue, assistant professor of chemistry in the Department of Chemistry, earned his Ph.D. in chemistry at University of California, Los Angeles. His research interests are in the areas of analytical chemistry, supramolecular chemistry, chemical biology and medicinal chemistry. He studies the supramolecular properties of peptides, and explores their biomedical applications. He aims to develop novel bioanalytical methods and implement them to answer biological questions.

Sachiko Haga-Yamanaka

Sachiko Haga-Yamanaka, assistant professor in the Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, earned her Ph.D. in biological science from the University of Tokyo. Her research interests are in the areas of neuroscience, ethology, endocrinology, cell biology, and molecular biology. She works on the molecular and neural basis of instinctive behaviors controlled by external and internal signals in mice.

Hongdian Yang

Hongdian Yang, Assistant Professor in the Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, earned his B.S. in Physics at Nanjing University and Ph.D. in Biophysics at University of Maryland College Park. During doctoral training, he performed interdisciplinary research of systems neuroscience and statistical physics to determine the dynamical properties of network-scale neuronal activity. He did postdoc work at Johns Hopkins University with the goal to understand the cellular and circuit mechanisms of sensory perception. At UCR, his lab employ multi-disciplinary approaches, including state-of-the-art in vivo electrophysiology and calcium imaging, optogenetics, mouse behavior, computational modeling and theory, to link cellular-level physiology to circuit dynamics and network analysis in behaving animals, with the ultimate goal to understand the organizational principles of neuronal ensembles and the basis of information processing by single neurons and neural circuits in health and disease.

Zhiwei Zhang

Zhiwei Zhang, associate professor of biostatistics in the Department of Statistics, earned his Ph.D. in biostatistics at the University of Pittsburgh. His research interests in statistical methodology include causal inference, missing data, clinical trials, precision medicine, biomarker studies, and diagnostic medicine. He is also interested in statistical applications in public health and other areas.

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New Faculty

CNAS New Faculty 2015

edraws — Thu, 20 Jun 2019 17:04:44 +0000

CNAS New Faculty 2015 edraws Thu, 06/20/2019 - 10:04 More College News October 26, 2015

Omar S. Akbari
Assistant Professor of Entomology and Assistant Entomologist
Department of Entomology

Degree
Ph.D., Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Nevada, Reno

Research
Mosquitoes are perhaps the most dangerous animals in the world. They are the primary vectors for major human diseases such as yellow fever, malaria and dengue fever, which together infect hundreds of millions of humans worldwide, killing millions each year, with over 50% of the world’s population presently at risk (WHO). There are currently no vaccines for either dengue fever or malaria and mosquitoes are rapidly evolving resistance to commonly used pesticides and anti-malarial drugs. Therefore given the number of infections and deaths, current approaches for prevention of mosquito-borne diseases are immeasurably inefficient. What remains critical for vector control is the development of catalytic approaches requiring only small efforts that can generate long lasting solutions. With the rapid advances in insect genetic engineering, mathematical modeling of wild populations, synthetic biology, and the comprehensive understanding of dengue and plasmodium lifecycles in mosquitoes, unique opportunities have arisen to prevent infectious diseases through genetic manipulation of wild insect vector populations. My research focuses on studying the basic genetics and physiology of mosquitoes with the overall goal of developing innovative, novel, creative, synthetic biology inspired genetic control technologies for reducing the burden of mosquito vector borne diseases on humans. The underlying hypothesis inspiring this work is that the introduction and spread of genes that prevent mosquitoes to transmit pathogens should in theory lead to reduced transmission of these pathogens resulting in reductions of human infections and/or death. To test this hypothesis, first we need a broad understanding of the biology of the mosquito that can be used to develop gene-based strategies for engineering mosquitoes that are resistant to pathogens; second we need to engineer mosquitoes that are resistant to all types of infections; third we need to develop tools to rapidly “drive” these laboratory developed genes into wild mosquito populations. Together, these aims can conceivably provide a foundation that has the potential to revolutionize vector control of mosquitoes.

George D. Becker
Assistant Professor
Department of Physics & Astronomy

Degree
Ph.D., California Institute of Technology, Astrophysics

Research
The majority of matter in the Universe resides in a vast filamentary network that stretches between galaxies and permeates deep space. Known as the intergalactic medium (IGM), this network provides the raw materials for galaxy formation, and in turn, galaxies impact the properties of the IGM in ways that change over cosmic time. Understanding the connection between galaxies and the IGM is therefore essential for determining how structures in the present-day Universe took shape. Dr. Becker’s research focuses on studying the IGM using the absorption patterns that gas in deep space imprints onto the spectra of background quasars. He uses optical and infrared data obtained from some of the world’s largest telescopes to measure properties of the gas such as its temperature, chemistry, and ionization state. Dr. Becker is particularly interested in the evolution of the IGM early in the history of the Universe, when the first galaxies were formed. He also uses the characteristics of the IGM to put constraints on the nature of dark matter.

Meng Chen
Assistant Professor of Cell Biology
Department of Botany & Plant Sciences

Degree
Ph.D., Iowa State University

Research
Plant development and growth are extremely plastic in response to changes in their light environment. Although a suite of photoreceptors has been identified, how photoreceptor signaling reprograms the genome during the developmental transitions in plants is still not fully understood. A molecular understanding of plant photoreceptor signaling not only will have important implications for crop improvement but also will greatly enhance our knowledge of the evolutionarily conserved basic principals of transcriptional reprogramming in eukaryotes, including human. Dr. Chen’s research focuses on understanding how photoreceptor signaling controls gene expression by regulating the nuclear architecture and genome organization. In particular, Dr. Chen is interested in (1) understanding the function and biogenesis of the photobody – a photoreceptor-containing and light-sensory subnuclear domain – in transcriptional regulation; and (2) elucidating the mechanism and significance of light-regulated gene repositioning in transcriptional regulation.

Jun-Hyeong Cho
Assistant Professor of Cell Biology and Neuroscience
Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience

Degree
M.D., Catholic University of Korea
Ph.D., Ohio State University

Research
Dr. Cho’s research goal is to address one of the most fundamental questions in neuroscience: how does the brain work for learning and memory? To this end, he uses the rodent model of fear conditioning to investigate neural circuit mechanisms of fear learning and extinction. The main hypothesis of his research is that neuroplasticity underlies learning and memory. With electrophysiological approaches, he tests this hypothesis by examining how fear and extinction learning impact synaptic responses and neuronal excitability in neural circuits implicated in fear and anxiety. To determine the causal relationship between these changes and behavior, he employs in vivo optogenetics and examines how bidirectional control of a neural pathway affects the formation and extinction of fear memory. Results from these studies would contribute to a deeper mechanistic understanding of fear learning and memory, and may provide hints to improve treatment of anxiety disorders, the most common psychiatric disorders.

Matthew P. Conley
Assistant Professor of Chemistry
Department of Chemistry

Degree
Ph.D., University of Chicago, Chemistry

PostDoc
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) – Zürich
Institut Català d'Investigació Química (ICIQ)

Research
The goal of our research is to develop a molecular understanding of the active sites of heterogeneous catalysts. In order to study these catalysts at this level of detail we apply an interdisciplinary strategy that combines material synthesis, surface science, and synthetic inorganic chemistry. Our approach involves the preparation of high surface area materials containing characteristic surface sites that react with inorganic complexes to form metal sites with well-defined coordination spheres. This allows us to optimize the activity of heterogeneous catalysts based on the molecular structure of the active site, which we determine by spectroscopic techniques, and to study the key mechanistic steps in the catalytic cycle. We design the active sites in these catalysts to tackle challenging catalytic problems, such as the activation of C-H bonds to promote reactions relevant to commodity chemical production and the activation of small molecules for alternative energy applications.

Adler R. Dillman
Assistant Professor of Parasitology and Assistant Parasitologist
Department of Nematology

Degree
Ph.D. in genetics, California Institute of Technology
B.Sc. in microbiology, Brigham Young University

PostDoc
Research in Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University

Research
We study host-parasite interactions from both perspectives, using parasitic nematodes and insect host models. Our interest is in how hosts recognize and initiate an immune response to parasites and the nature and specificity of the immune response. In studying immunity we differentiate the relative roles of resistance, the ability of the host to reduce or eliminate pathogen burden, and disease tolerance or the ability of the host to manage the effects of infections. From the perspective of the parasite we study how parasites evade and/or suppress immunity and host-seeking behavior and olfaction using parasitic nematodes. To investigate how parasites interact with host immunity we are studying parasite proteins that are involved in this process and are working to identify their targets and characterize those interactions.

Boniface P. T. Fokwa
Assistant Professor of Chemistry
Department of Chemistry

Degree
Ph.D. (Dr.rer.nat.) in Chemistry from the Dresden University of Technology (Dresden, Germany)
Fokwa received his Ph.D. (Dr.rer.nat.) in Chemistry from the Dresden University of Technology (Dresden, Germany), and was a postdoctoral fellow and Habilitant at the RWTH Aachen University (Aachen, Germany). He has been visiting Professor at UCLA before moving to UCR.

Research
Fokwa’s research focuses on designing new solid state materials by combining experiments and computational methods, with a particular emphasis on finding appropriate materials for energy-related applications (magnetic, magnetocaloric, superconducting and spintronic materials) as well as refractory materials (hard and superhard materials).

Joseph Genereux
Assistant Professor of Chemistry
Department of Chemistry

Degree
Ph.D., California Institute of Technology

Atherosclerosis is widely prevalent in humans and can lead to ischaemic heart disease and stroke, the leading worldwide causes of death. Low density lipoproteins (LDL) are central to the molecular etiology of atherosclerosis, and their clinical biochemistry is intimately tied to atherosclerotic risk. Our group is exploring how the biological pathways that regulate lipoprotein folding and assembly impact the biochemical properties of lipoprotein particles. We are particularly interested in developing in situ and high-throughput tools to:

characterize lipoprotein heterogeneity
quantify protein homeostasis across the proteome
measure the contribution of physiological stress to LDL atherogenicity

Juan Pablo Giraldo
Assistant Professor of Plant Physiology & Assistant Plant Physiologist
Department of Botany & Plant Sciences

Degree
Ph.D., Harvard University, Organismic and Evolutionary Biology

Dr. Giraldo’s lab works at the interface between plant physiology and nanotechnology. Nanoparticles have unique optical, electronic, and chemical properties, but their impact on plant function and structure is essentially unexplored. We aim to develop research tools with nanomaterials to study, manipulate, and monitor plant physiological mechanisms. Our nanobionic approach also seeks to enable plants with novel or augmented functions through the assembly of nanomaterials in organelles, tissues and whole organisms. Dr. Giraldo’s research is currently focusing on 1) exploring the mechanisms of nanoparticle enhancement of plant photosynthesis, 2) enabling novel targeted and controlled biomolecule delivery nanocarriers for studying and engineering plant defense response, and 3) developing nanoparticle-based sensors for monitoring temporal and spatial changes in concentration of plant signaling molecules in real-time.

characterize lipoprotein heterogeneity
quantify protein homeostasis across the proteome
measure the contribution of physiological stress to LDL atherogenicity

Andrew Gray
Assistant Professor of Watershed Hydrology and Assistant Watershed Hydrologist
Department of Environmental Sciences

Degree
Ph.D., University of California Davis, Hydrologic Sciences

Research
A primary watershed function is streamflow: the conveyance of water, along with dissolved and solid particles, through river systems. Streamflow is controlled by the interaction of external drivers, such as climate, and internal factors, such topography, geology, soils, vegetation, and human activities. In turn, the erosive and depositional effects of water on sediments transform the shape of the river system and the entire watershed. The expression of these processes is evident in the quantity and quality of water in the river system over time – which is essential to human beneficial uses and ecosystem services within the watershed, and beyond. Dr. Gray’s research focuses on i) applying forensic methods to determine the dominant controls on changes in watershed functions over time, ii) integrating watershed scale and local factors to understand how and why river system forms and structures change, and iii) assessing the water quality implications of these processes; all with the help of remote sensing, environmental monitoring and sedimentological tools.

Rong Hai
Assistant Professor of Virology
Department of Plant Pathology & Microbiology

Degree
Ph.D., University of California Berkeley, Comparative Biochemistry

Research
Our laboratory has broadly interests on the molecular characterization of emerging negative strand RNA viruses with focuses on discovering novel viral virulence signatures and molecular viral-host interactions. Currently, we use influenza viruses as the primary model system.

Influenza virus, family Orthomyxoviridae, is a negative-strand RNA virus with 8 segments and is grouped by its antigenic properties as type A, B or C. Influenza virus is a major human respiratory pathogen. However, only types A and B, are responsible for seasonal epidemics resulting in approximately 35,000 (US) and 500,000 (worldwide) deaths annually, while type C causes mild respiratory illness. In addition, influenza A virus can cause pandemics, which occurs every 10-50 years. Due to the lack of pre-existing immunity in humans, pandemic cases usually increase mortality and severity of the infection. For example, during 1918-1919 influenza pandemic, about one third of the world's population (or ≈500 million persons) were infected and had clinically apparent illnesses.

We combine molecular, biochemical, and imaging techniques to understand how viruses replicate and to explore virus-host interactions. We also have interests, driven by our research goals, in developing methods for manipulating genomes of other emerging viruses.

Ansel Hsiao
Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Assistant Microbiologist
Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology

Degree
Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, Cell and Molecular Biology

Research

Our laboratory has broadly interests on the molecular characterization of emerging negative strand RNA viruses with focuses on discovering novel viral virulence signatures and molecular viral-host interactions. Currently, we use influenza viruses as the primary model system.

Humans share their bodies with many trillions of commensal microbes, collectively known as the microbiota. The gut is site of the densest microbial colonization, and the bacteria resident there have been demonstrated to play a role in a variety of physiological processes ranging from immune development to resistance to pathogens. Recently, Dr. Hsiao has identified that interspecies bacterial communication, a process known as quorum sensing, is employed by the gut microbiota to inhibit virulence gene production by the important human diarrheal pathogen Vibrio cholerae. Dr. Hsiao’s future research focuses on 1) the role played by quorum sensing in modulating the structure and function of the gut microbiota and virulence gene regulation in V. cholerae; 2) mechanisms underlying gut microbiota-mediated colonization resistance against pathogens of the gut; and 3) methods for manipulating the structure of the gut microbiota with a view to providing prophylaxis against bacterial pathogen invasion of the gut.

Amy Litt
Assistant Professor of Plant Evolution and Development and Assistant Plant Evolutionary Developmental Biologist
Department of Botany & Plant Sciences

Degree
Ph.D., City University of New York and The New York Botanical Garden joint program in Plant Biology

Research
Evolution has produced a dazzling diversity of plant forms all of which result in different ecological interactions, economic uses, and physiological functions among plant species. Dr. Litt’s research focuses on the molecular changes that have occurred during the course of flowering plant evolution, and how those changes have produced the variety of flowers and fruits we see around us. A current focus of her work is the identification of the genetic changes in the nightshade family that allow some species, such as tomato, eggplant, or chili pepper, to produce a fleshy edible fruit, whereas other species, such as tobacco or petunia, produce their seeds in a dry woody pod. Other projects similarly address how changes in genes and genomes have produced new plant forms and new plant species.

Joshua Lui
Assistant Professor of Physics
Department of Physics & Astronomy

Degree
Ph.D. in Physics, 2011, Columbia University

Research
Our group explores novel quantum phenomena associated with light-matter interactions in low-dimensional condensed matter systems. When electrons and photons are confined in nanometer or atomic scales, they exhibit distinct properties from those in the bulk, such as strong quantum confinement and enhanced many-body interactions. We aim to elucidate the nature and dynamics of these states by advanced laser spectroscopy. Our optical techniques include Raman, absorption, luminescence, photocurrent and ultrafast pump-probe spectroscopy, with spectral range from terahertz, infrared, visible to ultraviolet, and time resolution down to femtoseconds. Currently, we are investigating the electron, phonon and (pseudo)spin dynamics in two-dimensional (2D) materials, such as graphene, boron nitride, transition-metal dichalcogenides and black phosphorus. These materials exhibit rich physics, such as strong interactions with light, emergent Dirac fermion phenomena, and strongly-correlated states. Their flat and inert surfaces also enable us to produce heterogeneous stacks of different 2D crystals with atomically sharp interfaces. These features permit engineering of devices with unprecedented properties. Given the plethora of 2D materials and potential heterostructures, we expect to identify many new physical phenomena and material properties.

Wenxiu Ma
Assistant Professor of Statistics and Assistant Statistician
Department of Statistics

Degree
Ph.D., Stanford University, Computer Science
B.S., Peking University, Computer Science

Research
Dr. Ma’s primary research interest is in developing computational algorithms and statistical methods to solve problems that stem from large-scale biological data generated by high-throughput sequencing technologies. In the past decade, breakthroughs in high-throughput sequencing technologies and their widespread applications have greatly enhanced our ability to investigate the complex world of molecular cell biology. The emergence of this type of sequencing has also brought new opportunities and challenges to the field of computational and statistical genomics. Dr. Ma develops statistical and computational methods for various types of high-throughput genomic and epigenomic datasets and has a particular interest in understanding genome regulation, including but not limited to chromatin organization, transcriptional regulation and gene expression.

Paricia Manosalva
Assistant Professor of Plant Pathology and Assistant Plant Pathologist
Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology
Director of UCR Avocado Rootstock Breeding Program

Degree
Ph.D., Kansas State University, Plant Pathology

Research
My research is focused on studying plant-microbe interactions in order to elucidate the molecular and genetic basis of plant immunity against pathogen and pests with emphasis on oomycete pathogens from the Phytophthora genus. Oomycetes include most of the notorious plant pathogens causing devastating diseases. In my lab our research focused on two of them: i) Phytophthora infestans (Pi), the causal agent of late blight in potato and tomato, which caused the Irish Famine in 1840s and ii) P. cinnamomi (Pc), the pathogen that causes Phytophthora Root Rot (PRR), the most destructive disease of avocado worldwide. We study plant-Phytophthora spp. interactions in model plants and crops at biochemical, molecular, cellular, and genetic levels as a key aspect to identify suitable host and/or pathogen targets for manipulation to enhance plant resistance as well as develop new methods for crop protection against these diseases. In addition, we are interested on identifying and characterizing genes from P. cinnamomi involve in pathogenesis and virulence. We want to elucidate the molecular basis of the broad host specialization of P. cinnamomi (~ 3000 plant host species) in comparison with other Phytophthora spp. with narrowed host range using comparative and functional genomic approaches.

California produces about 90% of the nation’s avocado crop. California avocado growers are continuously challenged by old threats such as P. cinnamomi causing losses of $40 million annually and by new emerging challenges such as abiotic stresses (ie. salinity and drought) that reduce grower profitability and sustainability. For the past 20 years, the UCR Avocado Rootstock Breeding Program has being supported by the California Avocado Commission (CAC) to develop and release rootstocks of avocado that are resistant not only to disease but also to salinity and drought in order to address the growers and industry’s pressing needs. As the director of the UCR Avocado Rootstock Breeding Program, one of the main goals for my multidisciplinary research is to apply and incorporate the basic knowledge and information we will gain in my lab, regarding P. cinnamomi-plant interactions, pathogenesis, pathogen population studies, and plant resistance to this oomycete, into different aspects of the breeding program. In addition, because of the recent advances in avocado genetics and genomics, we will combine genomic-assisted breeding approaches to traditional breeding in order to have a more accurate genomic selection.

Carl Mautner
Assistant Professor of Mathematics
Department of Mathematics

Degree
Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin, Mathematics

Research
Pure mathematics is the study of fundamental structures in the numbers, equations and models that we use in science to help describe and study the world around us. Mautner's research is in representation theory, a branch of pure mathematics concerned with symmetry. Using ideas from algebraic geometry, he constructs and studies concrete models of abstract symmetry groups. This work has connections to other areas of mathematics and theoretical physics, including number theory, topology and quantum field theory.

Jessica Purcell
Assistant Professor of Entomology and Assistant Entomologist
Department of Entomology

Degree
Ph.D., University of British Columbia, Zoology

Research
Social behaviors have evolved in a wide range of taxa, from bacteria to slime molds and from insects to mammals. This repeated and parallel evolutionary transition raises key questions about how sociality evolves. Natural variation in social traits within or among species provides an ideal opportunity to understand factors that contribute to the emergence of different social systems. In her research, Dr. Purcell seeks the proximate and ultimate drivers of social organization. She has pursued these interests by integrating population genomics, field ecology, manipulative experiments in the lab and in the field, and individual-based modeling approaches. Dr. Purcell’s primary study organisms have been social spiders from the genus Anelosimus and socially polymorphic ants from the genus Formica.

Andy Ridgwell
Professor of Earth System Science
Department of Earth Sciences

Degree
Ph.D., University of Earth Anglia, UK, 2001

Postdoc
University of Earth Anglia, UK
University of California, Riverside

Research
Dr. Ridgwell writes computer models – numerical representations of the primary interactions of climate with atmospheric CO2, including the cycling of carbon, oxygen, and nutrients between land, ocean, and marine sediments. He applies these models to diverse questions, ranging from geological episodes of extreme glaciation and warming, and global-scale ocean anoxia, through understanding global biogeochemical cycling in the modern Earth system, to quantifying future marine impacts of fossil fuel CO2 emissions and the effectiveness (or otherwise) of geoengineering. His current interests revolve around simulating the co-evolution of marine plankton and their environment, and their ecological sensitivities to past climate perturbations and global environmental catastrophe. He never sets foot in the lab.

Sherma Rizzo
Assistant Professor of Statistics
Department of Statistics

Degree
Ph.D. University of California, Los Angeles

Research
Meta-analysis in the health sciences combines evidence from multiple studies to derive stronger results about the efficacy of treatments. In the process of data extraction from published papers, it is extremely common for the required data to be ambiguous, incomplete or missing. Existing approaches consist of computing best-estimates for the missing values without accounting for the uncertainty of the computation. As a consequence, meta-analyses’ results could be over-certain and potentially inaccurate. Dr. Rizzo’s research focuses on developing statistical models to improve the accuracy of meta-analysis by accounting for the uncertainty introduced during data extraction.

Laura Sales
Assistant Professor
Department of Physics & Astronomy

Degree
PhD: Universidad Nacional de Cordoba (Argentina), 2007
M.Sc: Universidad Nacional de Cordoba (Argentina), 2004

Postdoc
2013-2015: ITC Fellow, Harvard University, US
2010-2013: Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, Germany
2007-2010: Kapteyn Institute, The Netherlands

Research
My research focuses on understanding the assembly of galaxies within the cosmological framework. I am particularly interested in the context and broad range of physical processes that drive the formation of galaxies; such as cosmology, gravitational dynamics and hydrodynamics, gas cooling, heating and shocks, star formation, metal enrichment and radiative processes. I take a numerical/theoretical approach at this by working daily with high resolution N-body and hydrodynamical simulations that explore the formation of galaxies.

Sandra Kirtland Turner
Assistant Professor of Paleoclimate/Paleoceanography
Department of Earth Sciences

Degree
Ph.D., Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC-San Diego

Research
The early Cenozoic Era (~65 to 34 million years ago) was a time of extreme global warmth preceding the establishment of permanent ice sheets on Antarctica, when the deep ocean (near freezing today), reached temperatures in excess of 12°C. Reconstructing and understanding differences in carbon cycle and climate dynamics during these ‘greenhouse’ climates is crucial for understanding the likely consequences of future anthropogenic fossil fuel carbon dioxide release. Dr. Kirtland Turner’s research focuses on applying a coupled data-model approach to quantitatively reconstruct carbon cycle and climate processes on a warm Earth, particularly in response to episodes of rapid climate change. Dr. Kirtland Turner specializes in the generation of high-resolution geochemical records from deep-sea sediment cores and interprets these records through development and application of Earth system models that can simulate physical and biogeochemical processes in the atmosphere, oceans, and deep-sea sediments over a variety of timescales.

Jaimie M. Van Norman
Assistant Professor of Plant Cell and Developmental Biology & Assistant Plant Cell and Developmental Biologist
Department of Botany & Plant Sciences

Degree
Ph.D., University of Utah, Biology

Postdoc
Duke University

Research
Dr. Van Norman’s research is focused on understanding the role of cell polarity in developmental patterning. Across biological systems, cell polarity establishes specific plasma membrane domains that are essential for cell fate and function. During development, coordinated cell division and cell fate specification are necessary for stem cell renewal and tissue patterning and often rely on extrinsic, non-cell-autonomous signals. Yet, in plants, our understanding of these signaling pathways remains limited. Using the Arabidopsis root as a model organ for study, our lab has identified a group of proteins involved in intercellular signaling that show polar localization to lateral (inner/outer) plasma membrane domains. In addition, the direction of polarity of individual proteins appears to be cell type-specific. Using state-of-the-art microscopy techniques combined with a variety of genetic and molecular approaches, our research investigates how this polar localization is established and maintained and how cellular polarity contributes to organ development.

David C. Volz
Assistant Professor of Environmental Toxicology and Assistant Environmental Toxicologist
Department of Environmental Sciences

Degree
Ph.D., Duke University, Environment (Certificate in Toxicology)

Postdoc
Duke University

Research
Due to resource constraints and animal use concerns associated with conventional toxicity tests, baseline toxicity and chemical mode-of-action data are lacking for the majority of chemicals currently in commerce within the United States and around the world. To help address these uncertainties, Dr. Volz’ research focuses on the use of zebrafish as an alternative non-mammalian model for (1) rapid chemical screening and prioritization for toxicity testing; (2) discovering biologically active yet understudied chemicals; and (3) investigating mechanisms of developmental toxicity across diverse chemical classes. In addition, Dr. Volz is actively involved in global, cross-sector efforts to promote development of tiered testing strategies as well as influence research agendas and policies related to regulatory toxicity testing and chemical regulation.

Chao Wang
Assistant Professor of Chemistry
Department of Chemistry

Degree
Ph.D., Tsinghua University, Chemistry

Research
The ability to transduce electrical signals while being soft and responsive to mechanical stimulus is highly desirable for applications in energy, electronics and health care. Over the past decades, much advance has been made in the field of electronic soft materials in terms of electronic/optoelectronic performance, whereas the fundamental understanding of their solid-state mechanical properties from molecular level remains underexplored. The answers to this question will have profound implications across a wide range of disciplines, because of the key role of molecular-level designs, such as energy dissipation, assembly architecture and adhesive forces, in determining the macroscopic properties (charge transport, adaptive mechanics, etc) of polymer materials.

My research program focus in combining molecular chemistry and supramolecular chemistry to achieve precise control of electronic/mechanical properties of organic polymer materials at the molecular level. This provides a platform to develop mechanically adaptive electronic materials for diversified applications in energy storage, wearable electronics and health. Specifically, my research topics include:

Next generation polymer electrolyte for safe, long-life-time and high-capacity lithium ion batteries
Mechanically stretchable electronic polymers for wearable electronics and energy storage
Adhesive electronic polymers for neural Interfaces and neuroprosthetics
Functional self-healing polymers

David Weisbart
Lecturer with PSOE
Department of Mathematics

Degree
Ph.D., Mathematics, UCLA

Research
David Weisbart's formal training is in analysis and functional analysis as applied to quantum theory, but he has a background in probability and dierential geometry as well. He has studied the foundations of quantum theory, functional integration, measure theory and generalized functions, and non-Archimedean physical models. His research has primarily focused on nite dimensional approximations to quantum systems, quantum theories over local elds, path measures and path integrals in mathematical physics, and quantization. He is also interested in the history of mathematics and mathematical pedagogy and has written on the analytical foundations of Euclidean geometry and the works of Archimedes.

Andreas Westphal
Assistant Specialist in Cooperative Extension and Assistant Nematologist
Department of Nematology

Degree
Ph.D., University of California Riverside, Plant Pathology/Nematology

Research
Plant-parasitic nematodes damage most of our crop plants. These soil-dwelling parasites are especially damaging and persistent in perennial crops. Here, plants are in place for a long time, and the nematodes can establish at great soil depths while continuously damaging the host plants. They are difficult to manage because they are hard to reach. Suppression is challenging because some tactics used in annual crops, e.g., annual crop rotations are not possible. The perennial research program at the Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center is built around three focus areas: (1) development of nematode resistant and tolerant rootstocks, (2) implementation of chemical control methods for these particular requirements, and (3) biorational approaches of cover cropping and soil amendments.

Sarah Hollis Woodard
Assistant Professor of Entomology and Assistant Entomologist
Department of Entomology

Degree
Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation

Research
Bumble bees are the single most economically important group of native pollinators in the US, and are also a longstanding model system for studying bee ecology, evolution, and social behavior. Dr. Woodard’s research focuses on using molecular approaches to advance our fundamental understanding of bumble bees, with an emphasis on how the nutritional environment has shaped this group of bees across both evolutionary and ecological timescales, and how this ultimately impacts human food security. Current projects being developed in Dr. Woodard’s lab include an examination of the energetics of bee-mediated pollination in southern California’s caneberry agroecosystems, a study of floral resource heterogeneity and bumble bee population dynamics in the western US, and a project on how differential patterns of gene regulation help shape the division of labor that is found in bumble bee colonies.

Yulong Xing
Assistant Professor of Mathematics
Department of Mathematics

Degree
Ph.D., Brown University, Mathematics

Research
Dr. Xing’s research interests lies in the areas of numerical analysis, scientific computing, mathematical modeling, computational geoscience and parallel computing with various applications ranging from coastal engineering, climate, physics, and astrophysics etc. He has been mainly working the design, analysis, and implementation of accurate and efficient numerical algorithms for differential equations arising from science and engineering problems.

Samantha C. Ying
Assistant Professor of Soil Biogeochemistry and Assistant Soil Biogeochemistrist
Department of Environmental Sciences

Degree
B.S., UC Santa Barbara, Microbiology
B.S., UC Santa Barbara, Physical Geography
Ph.D., Stanford University, Environmental Earth System Science

Research
Soils provide the interface between the atmosphere and terrestrial biosphere and are an essential component of the critical zone. Soils are also a complex medium composed of a heterogeneous mixture of minerals, water, gas, microbes, plants, and animals. Because soils provide so many ecosystem services, such as a medium for agriculture, water purification, and carbon storage, it is important to understand the interactions among the various soil components to maximize the benefits soil provide while ensuring that they are managed to provide long-term benefits. The Ying Lab’s research focuses on the complex heterogeneity of soils, specifically on 1) determining the pathways of chemical and microbial reactions in soils that lead to groundwater contamination; 2) quantifying the impacts of atmospheric metal deposition on metals concentrations in agricultural soil and the corresponding uptake of toxic metals into crops; and 3) discovering novel pathways for abiotic carbon oxidation at manganese oxide surfaces.

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New Faculty

Meet the newest faculty members in the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences for 2017

edraws — Wed, 19 Jun 2019 16:48:27 +0000

Meet the newest faculty members in the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences for 2017 edraws Wed, 06/19/2019 - 09:48 More College News November 06, 2017

Also see pictures from the 2017 New Faculty Reception.

Garret Anderson

Garret Anderson is an assistant professor of neuroscience in the Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology. He earned his Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota, followed by postdoctoral research at Stanford University in molecular neuroscience. His research interests are in investigating the molecular basis for the specificity of synaptic assembly and functionality, and how these processes are altered in neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders.

Michael G. Anderson

Michael G. Anderson, associate teaching professor of physics in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, earned his Ph.D. in physics at the University of California, Davis. His research interest is in the area of physics education research. He works on improving laboratory instruction methods as well as refining large classroom lectures via technological innovation and the implementation of pedagogical techniques.

Boris Baer

Boris Baer, professor for pollinator health in the Department of Entomology, studied Ecology at the University of Zurich and earned his Ph.D. at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich). His research interests include the immunity, reproduction and ecology of social insects, especially honeybees. He is part of an international network of partners in Australia, China and Panama to develop solutions to counter recent declines in insect pollinators, which has become of global concern given our dependence on these animals for food production. To do this, he uses classical field based approaches from evolutionary ecology and behavioral ecology in combination with lab based techniques such as proteomics to unravel the molecular basis of traits of interest. These include research programs that unravel the functioning of the insect immune system with the idea to find bees that are better able to resist widespread and damaging parasites or the study of the reproductive biology of bees to support breeding programs for increased health. He conducts research in close collaboration with industry partners such as beekeepers to facilitate the transfer of research outcomes in order to provide novel tools of integrative bee health management.

Sihem Cheloufi

Sihem Cheloufi, assistant professor of biochemistry in the Department of Biochemistry, was awarded her Ph.D. in Genetics at Stony Brook University, New York in affiliation with Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. After her postdoctoral training at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center and Center for regenerative Medicine, Sihem moved to the UCR Biochemistry Department to establish her independent research group. Her interests are in the area of embryonic development, stem cell and cancer biology. She is currently working on understanding the mechanisms controlling cellular plasticity by focusing on the role of chromatin and non-coding RNA molecules in packaging the genome and regulating gene expression in health and disease. Sihem’s goal is to use this knowledge for the purposes of regenerative medicine and improving cancer therapy.

Weitao Chen

Weitao Chen, assistant professor of mathematics in the Department of Mathematics, earned her Ph.D. in mathematics at the Ohio State University. Her research interests are in the areas of numerical analysis, scientific computing, shape optimization of elliptic type eigenvalue problems, and computational systems biology with emphasis on cell polarity, stem cells, growth control on tissues and organs, and stochastic dynamics in patterning. She develops mathematical models for complex biological systems, designs accurate and efficient numerical algorithms for dynamical systems to understand fundamental principles in developmental biology.

Janet Franklin

Janet Franklin, distinguished professor and distinguished biogeographer in the Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, earned her Ph.D. in geography at University of California - Santa Barbara. Her research interests are conservation biogeography, global change biology, species distribution modeling, plant community ecology, spatial ecology, landscape ecology, and geographic information science. Her work addresses the impacts of human-caused landscape change especially on forest, shrublands and other plant communities, and the wildlife that depends on these habitats.

Börge Hemmerling

Börge Hemmerling, assistant professor of physics in the Department of Physics & Astronomy, earned his Ph.D. in physics at the Leibniz University of Hannover in Germany. His research interests are in the area of atomic physics, with a focus on ultracold molecules and trapped molecular ions. He aims to control complex molecules at the single quantum level with the goal to study and control chemical reactions at very low temperatures and in degenerate molecular quantum gases. In order to enter the ultracold regime, he works on the design and implementation of a laser-cooled cryogenic buffer-gas beam for a large set of molecules.

Stephen Kane

Stephen Kane, associate professor of planetary astrophysics in the Department of Earth Sciences, earned his Ph.D. in astrophysics at the University of Tasmania. His research primarily involves the detection, characterization, and habitability of planets orbiting other stars (exoplanets) using data from a variety of groundbased and space-based telescopes. His research topics include planet discovery, atmospheric studies, orbital dynamics, Venus and Earth analogs, conditions for planetary habitability, biosignatures and geosignatures, and telescope design for upcoming space-based exoplanet missions.

Loralee Larios

Loralee Larios, assistant professor of plant ecology in the Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, earned her Ph.D. in environmental science, policy and management at the University of California-Berkeley. Her research links population and community ecology to invasion biology and restoration ecology and provides insights to how environmental change may influence plant invasions and ecosystem management. She uses a combination of field experiments, observational studies and population modeling to guide restoration and management practices.

Ying-Hsuan Lin

Ying-Hsuan Lin, assistant professor of environmental toxicology in the
Department of Environmental Sciences, received her Ph.D. in Environmental
Sciences and Engineering from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Her research interests lie in understanding the sources, composition, and
formation mechanisms of atmospheric aerosols, and how they influence regional
air quality, human health, and the climate system. She works on bridging
atmospheric chemistry, analytical chemistry, toxicogenomics, and systems
biology approaches to investigate the health effects of particulate air pollution.

Jernej Murn

Jernej Murn is an assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry. He
obtained his Ph.D. in molecular biology at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia,
and completed postdoctoral training at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and
Harvard Medical School. His research focus is on understanding how control of
gene expression at the RNA level allows cells to make decisions, respond to the
environment, and communicate with one another, as well as how misregulation
of RNA processing leads to cellular dysfunction and disease, especially
neurological disorders and cancer. His studies integrate genome-wide and
computational approaches with traditional biochemistry and genetics to allow
for comprehensive description of RNA.

Paul Nabity

Paul Nabity, assistant professor of plant-insect ecology in the Department of
Botany and Plant Sciences, earned his Ph.D. in plant biology at the University
of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. His research interests are in the areas of
physiological ecology, ecological genomics, and the adaptive nature of inducible
plant phenotypes, with various applications ranging from predicting species
interactions and understanding plant stress to increase food and ecosystem
productivity. He works to advance understanding of complex plant phenotypes,
how they evolved, and how they can be managed.

Lauren Ponisio

Lauren Ponisio is an assistant professor of ecological networks in the
Entomology Department. She earned her Ph.D. from University of California
Berkley, and her masters from Stanford University. Lauren studies the
mechanisms operating in complex systems, specifically ecological communities,
that underlie diversity maintenance. She also develops tools for reproducible
science, including the R package NIMBLE for hierarchical modeling.

William Porter

William Porter, assistant professor of atmospheric dynamics and modeling
in the Department of Environmental Sciences, earned his Ph.D. in applied
physics at Portland State University. His research interests focus on the
intersection of atmospheric processes and human activity, both in terms of
anthropogenic influences on air quality and climate, as well as the feedbacks of
those influences on human health. Through the synthesis of numerical models,
atmospheric observations, and statistical methodologies, William explores these
relationships with the goal of improving our understanding of atmospheric
processes, leading to better tools for policy and planning.

Nicole Rafferty

Nicole Rafferty, assistant professor in the Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, earned her Ph.D. in zoology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research interests are in the areas of community ecology, global change, and pollination ecology. In particular, she is studying how shifts in the timing of life history events and range shifts alter species interactions. She uses a combination of long-term and historical data, experimental manipulations, and observations of natural variation to understand how plant-pollinator interactions are likely to be affected by climate change.

Houston Wilson

Houston Wilson, assistant cooperative extension specialist in the Department of Entomology, earned his Ph.D. in agricultural entomology and ecology at UC Berkeley. His research focuses on the development and evaluation of integrated pest management strategies for tree nuts and stone fruit with an emphasis on biological control, plant-insect interactions, landscape ecology, insect movement, and regional population dynamics. His lab is located at the Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Parlier, CA.

Hongdian Yang

Hongdian Yang, assistant professor in the Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, earned his B.S. in Physics at Nanjing University (2006) and Ph.D. in Biophysics at University of Maryland College Park (2011). During doctoral training, he performed interdisciplinary research of systems neuroscience and statistical physics to determine the dynamical properties of network-scale neuronal activity. He did postdoc work at Johns Hopkins University (2012-2016) with the goal to understand the cellular and circuit mechanisms of sensory perception. At UCR, his lab employ multi-disciplinary approaches, including state-of-the-art in vivo electrophysiology and calcium imaging, optogenetics, mouse behavior, computational modeling and theory, to link cellular-level physiology to circuit dynamics and network analysis in behaving animals, with the ultimate goal to understand the organizational principles of neuronal ensembles and the basis of information processing by single neurons and neural circuits in health and disease.

Haofei Zhang

Haofei Zhang, assistant professor of chemistry in the Department of Chemistry, earned his Ph.D. at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. His research focuses on understanding the multiphase chemical and physical processes of atmospheric organic aerosol transformation. His group uses controlled laboratory studies and analytical techniques to identify and quantify gas- and particle-phase chemical species that are important in atmospheric organic aerosol and elucidate chemical mechanisms of the formation and evolution of organic aerosol.

Zhenghe Zhang

Zhenghe Zhang, assistant professor of mathematics in the Department of Mathematics, earned his Ph.D. in Mathematics at Northwestern University. His research interests lie across dynamical systems, spectral theory, and mathematical physics. He works on problems in the spectral analysis of Schrödinger operators using tools from dynamical systems.

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New Faculty

New Faculty

CNAS Welcomes New Faculty Members for the 2025 Academic Year

Meet the 2025 CNAS New Faculty Members

Building Community and Collaboration

A Warm Welcome and Shared Mission

CNAS Celebrates New Faculty Members for the 2024 Academic Year

CNAS Welcomes New Faculty to the 2023 Academic Year

CNAS Welcomes New Faculty to the 2022 Academic Year

CNAS Welcomes New 2021-2022 Faculty

Welcome new CNAS faculty 2020

Join us in welcoming the newest faculty members to the College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences for the 2020-2021 academic year!

Welcome New CNAS Faculty 2019

A warm welcome to our new CNAS Faculty!

Welcome to new CNAS faculty 2016

Please view short biographies and portraits of our new faculty members and the new dean. Welcome!

Hoori Ajami

Mark Alber

Igor Barsukov

Holly Bik

Alan Brelsford

Maryjo Brounce

Matt Casselman

Po-Ning Chen

Yanou Cui

Yongtao Cui

Katayoon (Katie) Dehesh

Stephanie Dingwall

Marilyn L. Fogel

Heather Ford

Emma Gachomo

Jose Gonzalez

Amir Haghverdi

Frederick Hamann

Francesca Hopkins

Zhenyu Jia

Daniel Koenig

Esra Kurum

Sara Lapan

Kerry Mauck

Michael Mulligan

Dawn Nagel

David Nelson

Seán O’Leary

Alexander Putman

Marko Spasojevic

Flip Tanedo

Kathryn Uhrich

Peng Wei

Min Xue

Sachiko Haga-Yamanaka

Hongdian Yang

Zhiwei Zhang

CNAS New Faculty 2015

Meet the newest faculty members in the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences for 2017