Research Areas in Molecular Biology

Graduate study in Molecular Biology at Miami University is interdepartmental, drawing from the faculty of botany, chemistry, microbiology, and zoology. While each student is based in one of these departments, the student has the opportunity to draw on the expertise, equipment, and course offerings of each of these departments. Individuals are educated and trained in the latest techniques of molecular biology and provided challenging research problems for a complete and rewarding graduate experience. After leaving Miami University, graduates are prepared to make strong contributions to the resolution of significant problems in molecular biology and biotechnology which will have major impact on the future of society.

Core Faculty

Kelly Z. Abshire, Microbiology (Ph.D. University of Michigan, 1991)
Identification of bacterial proteins important in intracellular survival

Luis Actis, Microbiology (Ph.D. Cordoba, Argentina 1982)
Genetics and molecular biology of bacterial virulence factors

Susan Barnum, Botany (Ph.D. Iowa State 1983)
Molecular biology of cyanobacteria: nitrogen fixation, plasmids

Eileen Bridge, Microbiology (Ph.D. Johns Hopkins, 1990)
Nuclear organization of gene expression in adenovirus-infected cells

Joseph Carlin, Microbiology (Ph.D. Michigan State 1985)
Molecular mechanisms of chlamydial evasion of immunity

Xiao-Wen Cheng, Microbiology (Ph.D. Clemson University, 1988)
Development of environmentally friendly viral insectasides for control of agricultural, forestry and medical pests using baculoviruses

Michael Crowder, Chemistry/Biochemistry (Ph.D. University of Virginia, 1993)
Mechanistic and structural characterization of metalloproteins

Katia Del Rio-Tsonis, Zoology (Ph.D. UNAM, Mexico, 1996)
Molecular and Cellular Biology of vertebrate lens and retina regeneration

Thomas C. Dockendorff, Zoology (Ph.D. University of Tennessee, 1993)
Drosophila genetics and molecular biology, RNA function, neurobiology

Joyce J. Fernandes, Zoology (Ph.D. University of Bombay 1994)
Nerve-muscle interactions in the fruit-fly, Drosophilia melanogaster

Paul A. Harding, Zoology (Ph.D. Ohio University, 1994)
Molecular characterization of heparin-binding growth factors and other growth promoting molecules using mammalian model systems

John W. Hawes, Chemistry/Biochemistry (Ph.D. University of Notre Dame, 1991
Protein structure and function/plant metabolism

Susan M.G. Hoffman, Zoology (Ph.D. University of Michigan, 1991)
Molecular evolution in mammals

Paul F. James, Zoology (Ph.D. Boston University School of Medicine, 1996)
Molecular biology and physiology of membrane transporters

Gary Janssen, Microbiology (Ph.D. Minnesota 1983)
Transcriptional and translational regulation of gene expression

Qingshun (Quinn) Li, Botany (Ph.D. Kentucky, 1995)
Biotechnology of plant pathogen resistance

Chun Liang, Botany (Ph.D. Georgia, 1999)
Bioinformatics; plant genomics, proteomics and metabolics; biological databases and data mining

Chris Makaroff, Chemistry/Biochemistry (Ph.D. Purdue 1986)
Plant molecular biology, nuclear-mitochondrial interactions

Rob Minto, Chemistry/Biochemistry (Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley, 1994)
Identification of biologically unusual reactions that generate "secondary" natural products

Nik Money, Botany (Ph.D. University of Exeter, England 1986)
Physiology of fungal growth, reproduction, and pathogenesis

Richard C. Moore, Botany (Ph.D. Pennsylvania State, 1999)
Plant evolutionary biology, evolutionary genetics and genomics, duplicate gene evolution, evolution of sexual reproduction systems, evolution of plant development (evo-devo)

David Pennock, Zoology (Ph.D. Washington 1986)
Molecular genetics and biology of the cytoskeleton

John Stevenson, Microbiology (Ph.D. Case Western Reserve 1972)
Developmental immunobiology

Jack Vaughn, Zoology (Ph.D. Texas 1964)
Eukaryotic gene regulation, molecular development

Mary Woodworth, Microbiology (Ph.D. Temple 1968)
Molecular biology of tumor viruses: the regulation of DNA replication and gene expression

Associate Faculty

Phyllis Callahan, Zoology (Ph.D. Rutgers 1986)
Cellular and molecular mechanisms of opiate regulation of anterior pituitary function

Richard Edelman, Botany (Ph.D. Michigan State 1993)
Ultrastructural reproductive development of members of the fungal class Zygomycetes

Thomas Gregg, Zoology (Ph.D. Texas 1956)
Gene regulation in Drosophila salivary glands

T. William Houk, Physics (Ph.D. Maryland 1971)
Biophysics of muscle contraction

Alfredo Huerta, Botany (Ph.D. California-Riverside 1987)
Plant biochemistry and stress physiology

John Kiss, Botany (Ph.D. Rutgers University 1987)
Cell biology, gravitropism in higher and lower plants, space biology, phototropism, ultrastructure, and cryotechniques in electron microscopy

Gary Lorigan, Chemistry/Biochemistry (Ph.D. University of California, Davis, 1996)
The structural and dynamic properties of membrane-bound proteins and peptides in lipid bilayers

Linda Watson, Botany (Ph.D. University of Oklahoma 1989)
Plant systematics and evolution, speciation, phylogenetics, molecular systematics and genetic diversity of rare species

Molecular Biology: Research Areas in Molecular Biology