Faculty
Faculty by research focus:
A

Abbondanzieri, Elio
- Research Assistant Professor
- elio.abbondanzieri@rochester.edu | (585) 275-2809
- 331 Hutchison
B

Benyajati, Cheeptip
- Associate Professor
- Director of Student Relations for Biology
- cheeptip.benyajati@rochester.edu | (585) 275-8040
- 474 Hutchison
Interests: Regulation of gene expression during development of Drosophila; Transcription, chromatin structure, and mechanisms of developmental chromatin structure remodeling

Bi, Xin
he/him/his
- Professor
- xin.bi@rochester.edu | (585) 275-6922
- 307 Hutchison
Interests: Epigenetic regulation of eukaryotic gene expression; Structural and functional domains of the genome; Chromatin boundary elements; Gene silencing; DNA damage repair and tolerance

Bickel, Ryan
- Associate Professor of Instruction
- Assistant Director of the Undergraduate Program in Biology and Medicine
- ryan.bickel@rochester.edu | (585) 276-7226
- 486 Hutchison

Brisson, Jennifer
she/her/hers
- Professor
- jennifer.brisson@rochester.edu | (585) 275-8392
- 310 Hutchison
Interests: Evolution of morphology; Molecular basis of phenotypic plasticity; Evolution and development in the pea aphid; The role of epigenetics in polyphenism
C

Chen, Nancy
she/her/hers
- Assistant Professor
- nancy.chen@rochester.edu | (585) 276-7149
- 477 Hutchison
Interests: Population genetics with pedigrees; Contemporary evolution in natural populations; Evolutionary genetics; Conservation genomics; Avian genomics

Clark, Michael
- Associate Professor of Instruction
- michael.clark@rochester.edu | (585) 275-3432
- 444 Hutchison

Culver, Gloria
she/her/hers
- Professor
- gloria.culver@rochester.edu | (585) 274-2567
- 484 Hutchison
Interests: Macromolecular assembly; RNA-protein recognition; Dynamics of RNA folding
F

Fay, Justin
- Professor
- justin.fay@rochester.edu | (585) 275-2998
- 319 Hutchison
Interests: Evolution of gene regulation; Comparative genomics and domestication; Disease consequences of human evolution

Fry, James D
- Associate Professor
- Director of the Undergraduate Program in Biology and Medicine
- james.fry@rochester.edu | (585) 275-7835
- 318 Hutchison
Interests: Genetics of ecological adaptation in Drosophila; Evolutionary effects of deleterious mutations; Quantitative-genetic theory and methodology

Fu, Dragony
- Associate Professor
- Director of Graduate Affairs & Admissions in Biology
- dragonyfu@rochester.edu | (585) 276-3346
- 333 Hutchison
Interests: RNA modification and translation regulation; Neurodevelopmental disorders linked to RNA function; Biochemistry and molecular biology
G

Ghaemmaghami, Sina
- Mercer Brugler Distinguished Teaching Professor
George Y. and Catherine H. Wu Professor in Chemistry
Professor of Biology - Director, AS&E Undergraduate Research
- sghaemma@bio.rochester.edu | (585) 275-4829
- 326A Hutchison
Interests: Protein folding and degradation; Neurodegenerative diseases and aging; Prion biology; Proteomics

Glastad, Karl
- Assistant Professor
- Coming January 1, 2024
Interests: Gene regulation, hormonal signalling, molecular and cellular determinants of aging and lifespan; Mechanisms and evolution of plasticity; Arthropod genomics; Video games

Gorbunova, Vera
- Doris Johns Cherry Professor
Professor of Biology - Co-director, Rochester Aging Research Center
- vera.gorbunova@rochester.edu | (585) 275-7740
- 434 Hutchison
Interests: Mechanisms of aging; Comparative biology of aging; Comparative biology of aging; DNA repair and genomic instability; Anticancer therapy
H

Holz, Jonathan
he/him/his
- Associate Professor of Instruction
- jonathan.holz@rochester.edu | (585) 275-8973
- 483 Hutchison
Interests: Pedagogy; Open educational resources; Equity in education; Physiology, Anatomy, Toxicology
L

Lambert, J. David
- Professor
- dlamber2@ur.rochester.edu | (585) 273-2482
- 344 Hutchison
Interests: The evolution of developmental mechanisms; Early patterning in molluscs and related groups; Cytoskeletal basis of asymmetric cell divisions; Evolution of novel phenotypes

Larracuente, Amanda
she/her/hers
- Associate Professor
- Associate Chair
- alarracu@bio.rochester.edu | (585) 273-1693
- 343 Hutchison
Interests: Evolutionary genetics and genomics; Intragenomic conflict and the evolution of selfish DNA; Evolutionary and functional genomics of satellite DNA; Sex chromosome and dot chromosome evolution in Drosophila; Centromere organization and evolution
M

Meyer, Anne S.
she/her/hers
- Associate Professor
- anne.meyer@rochester.edu | (585) 275-9290
- 472 Hutchison
Interests: Synthetic biology; 3D printing of bacteria; Engineering of bacteria to produce biomaterials; Survival strategies of bacteria; Organization of bacterial DNA

Minckley, Robert L.
- Professor of Instruction
- rminckle@mail.rochester.edu | (585) 275-0272
- 446 Hutchison
Interests: Ecology and evolution of host breadth in bees; Community structure of desert bees; Conservation biology of pollinators

Murphy, Patrick J.
- Assistant Professor
- patrick_murphy@urmc.rochester.edu | (585) 275-0113
- 2-9619 KMRB
Interests: Regulation of vertebrate gene transcription in vivo; Epigenetics and chromatin; Zebrafish genetics and genomics; Developmental cell state transitions; Bioinformatics
O

Orr, H. Allen
- Shirley Cox Kearns Professor
Professor of Biology
- allen.orr@rochester.edu | (585) 275-3838
- 342 Hutchison
Interests: Genetics of speciation in Drosophila; Genetics and theory of adaptation; Population genetics
P

Peter, Benjamin
he/him/his
- Assistant Professor
- Coming January 1, 2024
Interests: Population genetics; Evolutionary genetics; Human genetic history; Ancient DNA; Population structure

Portman, Douglas
- Professor
- douglas.portman@rochester.edu | (585) 275-7414
- 2-9647 KMRB
Interests: Genetics of development and behavior in C. elegans; Neural cell fate specification; Sex differences in neural circuit function; Sexual dimorphism in developmental patterning

Presgraves, Daven C.
- Dean's Professor
Professor of Biology
- daven.presgraves@rochester.edu | (585) 275-0925
- 481 Hutchison
Interests: Evolutionary genetics ; Speciation genetics; Molecular population genetics; Selfish gene complexes
S

Seluanov, Andrei
- Professor
- andrei.seluanov@rochester.edu | (585) 275-6636
- 432 Hutchison
Interests: Molecular and cell biology; Tumor suppressor mechanisms in log-lived rodents the Naked Mole-Rat and Eastern Grey Squirrel; Mammalian Sirt proteins in regulation of stress response during aging; Anti-cancer mechanisms in whales

Sia, Elaine
she/her/hers
- Professor
- Associate Dean of Academic Affairs
- elaine.sia@rochester.edu | (585) 275-9275
- 334A Hutchison
Interests: Molecular biology and genetics; Mutagenesis and repair of the mitochondrial genome of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Stein, Alexis
- Assistant Professor of Instruction
- alexis.stein@rochester.edu | (585) 275-3848
- 216B Hutchison
U

Uy, J. Albert C.
- Professor and Chair
- al.uy@rochester.edu | (585) 273-1309
- 450 Hutchison
Interests: Evolutionary Ecology; Behavioral Ecology; Evolutionary Genetics; Speciation; Conservation

Uy, Floria Mora-Kepfer
she/her/hers
- Assistant Professor of Instruction
Research Assistant Professor - Starting as Assistant Professor in January 2024
- floria.uy@rochester.edu | (585) 275-4891
- 460 Hutchison
Interests: Evolution of sociality; Neuroethology; Host-parasite interactions; Behavioral Ecology; Conservation
W

Wang, Ning
- Assistant Professor
- Coming January 1, 2024
Interests: Cell biology, biochemistry, and molecular genetics; Organelle biogenesis; Organelle degradation through selective autophagy; Organelle aging and neurodegeneration

Welte, Michael
he/him/his
- Professor
- michael.welte@rochester.edu | (585) 276-3897
- 317 Hutchison
Interests: Cell and developmental biology ; Intracellular trafficking of proteins, RNAs, and organelles ; Regulation of motor-driven transport ; Cell biology of lipid droplets ; Lipid droplets in protein sequestration and innate immunity

Werren, John H.
- Nathaniel and Helen Wisch Professor in Biology
Professor of Biology
- jack.werren@rochester.edu | (585) 275-3694
- 306 Hutchison
Interests: Evolutionary genetics; Microbial-host interactions with emphasis on Wolbachia in arthropods, genetics of speciation and evolution of development; Genetics, genomics and evolution of Parasitoids (e.g. Nasonia and relatives); The role of "selfish" or "parasitic" DNA in evolution