Multidisciplinary Biomedical and Biological Sciences Faculty | 2025-2026 Graduate Catalog | SIU

Adlimoghaddam, Aida, Assistant Professor, Ph.D., CRQM, (Springfield), University of Manitoba, Canada, 2015; 2023.  Mitochondrial function, brain metabolic activity, inflammation, and cognitive changes in normal aging, Alzheimer's disease, and related diseases; pharmaceutical and dietary interventions, repurposing of FDA-approved drugs; early diagnosis and treatment in Alzheimer's disease.

Arai, Amy C., Professor, Ph.D., (Springfield), Chiba University, 1987; 1999. Molecular and pharmacological modulation of AMPA-type glutamate receptors and its impact on synaptic physiology.

Arbogast, Lydia A., Professor and Director Molecular and Integrative Physiology concentration, Ph.D., (Carbondale), Indiana University, 1988; 1996. Molecular aspects of reproductive neuroendocrinology.

Bany, Brent M., Associate Professor, Ph.D., (Carbondale), Western University (Canada), 1997; 2003. Uterine biology with a focus on the establishment and progression through early pregnancy in rodents and humans.

Bartke, Andrzej, Distinguished Professor, Emeritus, Ph.D., (Springfield), University of Kansas, 1965; 1984. Genetic and hormonal control of aging in mammals.

Bender, Kelly, Associate Professor and Director of Microbiology concentration, Ph.D., (Carbondale), Southern Illinois University, 2003; 2006. Metabolic regulation of bacteria involved in bioremediation, small non-coding regulatory RNAs.

Bhaumik, Sukesh R., Professor, Ph.D., (Carbondale), Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (University of Bombay), 1997; 2003. Regulation of eukaryotic gene expression, transcription-coupled ubiquitination and DNA repair, NMR structural studies on proteins and nucleic acids.

Braundmeier-Fleming, Andrea, Associate Professor, Ph.D., (Springfield), University of Illinois, 2005; 2014. Immune cell function and influence of the microbiome on the pathophysiology of reproductive disorders.

Burgess, Rebecca J., Assistant Professor, Ph.D., (Carbondale), Mayo Clinic College of Medicine 2007; 2023.  Chromatin regulation, hematopoietic stem cell function and maintenance, stem cell proteostasis.

Cai, Weijia, Assistant Professor, Ph.D., (Springfield), Wuhan University, China, 2010; 2022. Explore the mechanisms that tumor cells suppress or avert immunogenic cell death (ICD) and discover novel targets to enhance the efficacy of current cancer therapies.

Caspary, Donald M., Research Professor, Emeritus, Ph.D., (Springfield), New York University, 1971; 1973. Sensory physiology, neurophysiology, age-related hearing loss, tinnitus.

Cheatwood, Joseph, Associate Professor, Ph.D., (Carbondale), University of Florida, 2004; 2009. Mechanisms of neuroprotection and recovery of function following central nervous system injury.

Copello, Julio A., Associate Professor, Ph.D., (Springfield), National University of La Plata, 1989; 2005. Molecular mechanism of intracellular calcium signaling and its role in ischemia and breast cancer.

Cox, Brandon, Professor and Director of Multidisciplinary Biomedical and Biological Sciences Graduate Program, Ph.D., (Springfield), Georgetown University, 2008; 2013. Hair cell regeneration in the cochlea and vestibular organs; postnatal maturation of the cochlea, and mechanisms of hair cell survival.

Crider, Michael, Professor, Ph.D., (Edwardsville), University of Kentucky, 1975; 2004. Synthetic medicinal chemistry, somatostatin non-peptides, sigma 2 ligands.

Davie, Judy, Professor and Chair, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Director of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology concentration, Ph.D., (Carbondale), University of California at Berkeley, 1998; 2006. Mechanisms of gene regulation, focusing on myogenin, a transcription factor that controls skeletal muscle development.

Demir, Ebru, Assistant Professor, Ph.D., (Carbondale), University of Vienna, Austria, 2006; 2024. Investigates the neural systems that support social reinforcement and social decision-making, both of which are vital for neuroprotection.

Elble, Randolph C., Associate Professor, Ph.D., (Springfield), Indiana University, 1986; 2005. Tumor suppression mechanisms in breast cancer by CLCA family of chloride current regulators.

Ellsworth, Buffy S., Professor, Ph.D., (Carbondale), Colorado State University, 2002; 2007. Pituitary gland development, molecular biology, regulation of gene expression.

Faingold, Carl L., Distinguished Professor, Ph.D., (Springfield), Northwestern University, 1970; 1972. Convulsive seizure mechanisms and effects of anticonvulsants; pharmacological alterations of cerebral evoked potentials, sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP).

Fisher, Derek, Professor, Ph.D., (Carbondale), University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 2006; 2012. Bacterial pathogenesis and physiology, developmental regulation in Chlamydia.

Hamilton-Brehm, Scott D., Associate Professor, Ph.D., (Carbondale), University of Georgia, 2008; 2016. Microbial characterization of unique extreme environments, characterization of novel metabolism pathways, and DNA investigations from ancient artifacts.

Hascup, Erin R., Associate Professor, Ph.D., (Springfield), University of Kentucky, 2007; 2013. Neurological, neurochemical, and cognitive changes in aging, Alzheimer's disease, and related disorders; stage-specific therapeutics, early diagnosis and treatment in Alzheimer's disease

Hascup, Kevin N., Associate Professor, Ph.D., (Springfield), University of Kentucky, 2007; 2018. Metabolic and glutamatergic dysregulation during Alzheimer's disease progression and successful aging; identification of disease-modifying life-style factors and biomarker-targeted therapeutics.

Jadavji, Nafisa M., Assistant Professor, Ph.D., (Carbondale), McGill University, 2013; 2024. The impact of nutrition on neurobiology of aging. 

Jayakody, Lahiru N, Associate Professor, Ph.D., (Carbondale), Kagoshima University, Japan, 2014; 2019. Developing synthetic microbes to produce renewable fuels, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and proteins from biomass and industrial waste, including plastic, and investigate protein post-translational mechanisms to develop synthetic microbiology and metabolic engineering tools.

Jensik, Philip, Associate Professor, Ph.D., (Carbondale), Southern Illinois University Carbondale, 2009; 2016. Neurodevelopment and neurodegenerative disorders, functional genetics, neurobehavioral measures.

Kadyrov, Farid, Professor, Ph.D., (Carbondale), Russian Academy of Sciences, 1997; 2008. DNA replication and repair, DNA damage in cancer.

Konjufca, Vjollca, Professor, Ph.D., (Carbondale), University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, 2002; 2010. Immunology, host-pathogen interactions.

Kontoyianni, Maria, Professor and Director of Medicinal Chemistry concentration, Ph.D., (Edwardsville), University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, 1992; 2009.  Computational chemistry, virtual screening, structure- and ligand-based molecular design, hybrid approaches towards drug discovery.

Kvitsiani, Duda, Assistant Professor, Ph.D., (Carbondale), University of Vienna, Austria, 2006; 2024. Circuits that support animal decision-making.

Kwon, Guim, Professor, Ph.D., (Edwardsville), Southern Illinois University, 1992; 2005. Glucose and insulin homeostasis, artificial pancreas system.

Li, Cheng-Shu, Associate Professor, M.D., Ph.D., (Carbondale), Jianusi Medical School, Kochi Medical School, 1982; 1992. Central processing of gustatory information using both in vivo (extracellular recording and intracellular recording) and in vitro (patch clamping) techniques.

Loret de Mola, Ricardo, Professor and Chair of Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, M.D., (Springfield), Monterrey Institute of Technology 1988; 2007.  Care of couples with infertility, and women with endometriosis.

Madigan, Michael T., Professor and Distinguished Scholar, Emeritus, Ph.D., (Carbondale), University of Wisconsin, 1976; 1979.

Metz, Anneke M., Associate Professor and Director of Premedical Programs, Biochemistry, Ph.D., (Carbondale), University of Texas, 1998; 2009. Biology education; pre-health professional education.

Miyoshi, Takushi, Assistant Professor, Ph.D., (Carbondale), Kyoto University, 2017; 2024. Molecular biology in inner ear hair cells.

Nie, Daotai, Professor, Ph.D., (Springfield), University of South Carolina, 1997; 2005. Molecular and cellular biology of cancer, tumor metastasis, development of tumor therapeutics.

Nieto, Marcelo, Professor, Ph.D., (Edwardsville), Universidad Nacional de Cordoba (Cordoba, Argentina), 2000; 2006. Drug design and synthesis of rational focused libraries for diverse therapeutic areas (antimicrobial, anticancer, pain, etc.).

Nordman, Jacob C., Assistant Professor, Behavioral Neuroscience Ph.D., (Carbondale), George Mason University, 2014; 2021. Stress, synaptic and intrinsic plasticity, brain circuits, aggression, maladaptive behavior.

Olivo-Marston, Susan, Associate Professor, Ph.D., M.P.H., (Springfield), Georgetown University, Johns Hopkins University, 2005; 2021. Cancer epidemiology, the role of lifestyle, diet, and obesity on carcinogenesis.

Parrilla Carrero, Jeffrey, Assistant Professor, Ph.D., (Springfield), Medical University of South Carolina, 2015; 2023. Target circuit-specific cellular adaptation associated with addictive drug intake for effective intervention against drug addiction.

Patel, Bhargav, Assistant Professor, Ph.D., (Edwardsville), St. John's University, 2017; 2021. Discovery of anti-cancer agents as well as compounds for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

Pond, Amber, Associate Professor and Director of Anatomy and Neurobiology concentration, Ph.D., (Carbondale), Mississippi University, 1995; 2012. Skeletal muscle physiology and biochemistry, focusing on the mechanisms contributing to skeletal muscle atrophy.

Premkumar, Louis S., Professor, Ph.D., (Springfield), Australian National University, 1992; 1999. Molecular mechanism(s) underlying pain perception; structure, function of ion channels, treatment options for chronic pain associated with peripheral neuropathies.

Rader, Bethany, Associate Professor, Ph.D., (Carbondale), University of Oregon, 2006; 2014. Beneficial host-microbe interactions, innate immunology, microbial ecology and systems biology.

Ran, Sophia, Professor, Ph.D., (Springfield), Weizmann Institute of Science, 1989; 2003. Tumor physiology, angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis, breast cancer metastasis.

Rao, Krishna, Professor, M.D., Ph.D., (Springfield), University of Washington, University of Miami, 2002; 2007. Role of Rab25 as a tumor suppressor, treatment of head and neck cancer.

Richardson, Ben, Assistant Professor and Director of Pharmacology and Neuroscience concentration, Ph.D., (Springfield), Southern Illinois University, 2012; 2020. Sensorimotor circuit anatomy, function, and plasticity in neurological disease/disorders (autism, alcoholism, and aging).

Rybak, Leonard P., Professor, Emeritus, M.D., Ph.D., (Springfield), University of Minnesota, 1973; 1981. Mechanism(s) underlying drug- and noise-induced hearing loss, development of therapeutics in reducing or preventing hearing loss.

Sarko, Diana K., Associate Professor, Ph.D., (Carbondale), University of Florida, Neuroscience, 2006; 2015. Systems neuroscience including sensory processing and plasticity; multisensory integration; perception; behavior; and comparative neurobiology.

Schober, Joseph, Professor, Ph.D., (Edwardsville), University of Illinois Chicago, 2003; 2007. Cell motility, cell cytoskeleton, cancer cell biology and cell-hydrogel interaction.

Selinfreund, Richard, Associate Professor, Ph.D., (Springfield), New Mexico State University/Los Alamos National Laboratory; 1988; 2021. Clinical biomarkers and treatment for metabolic disease.

Sudheimer, Keith, Assistant Professor, Ph.D., (Carbondale), University of Michigan, 2009; 2020. Neurobiology of stress and emotion.

Tischkau, Shelly A., Professor and Chair of Department of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Cell Biology and Department of Pharmacology, Ph.D., (Springfield), University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 1995; 2007. Neuroendocrinology, environmental toxicology, regulation of molecular circadian rhythms in health and disease states, including cancer and diabetes.

Tobón, Gabriel J., Assistant Professor, M.D., Ph.D., (Springfield), Université de Bretagne Occidentale, France, 2012; 2021. Study of B lymphocytes in the pathogenesis of Autoimmune Diseases (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Sjogren’s syndrome).

Torry, Donald S., Professor and Associate Dean for Research, Ph.D., (Springfield), Southern Illinois University, 1989; 2000. Human reproductive biology, cellular biology of angiogenic growth factors and immune cytokines during pregnancy, molecular biology of placental gene expression.

Weilbaecher, Rodney, Assistant Professor, Ph.D., (Carbondale), University of California, Berkeley, 1997; 2007. Gene regulation, post-translational modifications, telomere biology.

Wilber, Andrew, Associate Professor and Director of Cell Biology, Immunology and Cancer Biology concentration, Ph.D., (Springfield) University of Minnesota, 2006; 2008. Gene therapy for hemoglobin disorders beta-thalassemia and sickle cell anemia, gene expression regulation, stable gene delivery using non-viral and viral integrating vector systems and cancer immunotherapy.

Witt, Ken, Professor, Ph.D., (Edwardsville), University of Arizona, College of Medicine 2001; 2005. CNS drug delivery, blood-brain barrier, somatostatin brain effects in aging and disease, develop therapeutics to treat Alzheimer's disease progression.

Young, Matthew J., Associate Professor, Ph.D., (Carbondale), University of Manitoba, Canada, 2008; 2015. Understanding the mechanisms of how toxicants disrupt mitochondrial DNA homeostasis, mitochondrial DNA genome maintenance in human diseases such as cancer and mitochondrial disease.

Yuan, Rong, Associate Professor, M.D., Ph.D., (Springfield), Shanghai Second Medical University, P.R. China, 2000; 2012. Molecular Biology of aging and longevity.

Zheng, Zhengui (Patrick), Associate Professor, Ph.D., (Carbondale), Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1997; 2014. Steroid hormone-regulated sexual dimorphic development of external genitalia, brain, and limbs and the genetic impact of environmental chemicals on sexual dimorphic organ development.