About me
I am a Professor of Genetics and Molecular biology at California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB). I hold a BS in Microbiology and Immunology from UCLA, a Ph.D. in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology from UC Santa Cruz, and a certificate in Science Communication from UC Santa Cruz. I have extensive research experience from the University of California San Francisco where I worked as a post doctoral fellow and Tularik Inc., a biotechnology firm now owned by Amgen. I also held positions as a scientific analyst with the law firm Lieff, Cabraser, Heimann and Bernstein LLP in San Francisco, and as a content science editor with CTB McGraw Hill in Monterey
I collaborate with Doug Kellogg at UC Santa Cruz to study the control of cell size during the cell cycle, in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. I also have an ongoing collaboration with the Genomics Education Partnership in St. Louis in comparative genomics with Drosophila melanogaster. My newest collaboration is with the Joint Genome Institute, the Escobar lab at CSU San Marcos, and UC Davis. I am a strong advocate for undergraduate research and support students in their endeavors toward graduate school and beyond.
I have been a freelance science writer since 2001 and published articles in venues like Science magazine, Natural History magazine, The San Francisco Chronicle, and most recently Voices of Monterey Bay. I write one blog called Indianamericantalk.org.
I was the Program Coordinator for the Biology major at CSUMB for seven years. I now teach Genetics, Advanced Cell Biology, Eukaryotic Molecular Biology laboratory, and the Biology capstone courses. I manage research projects in the Sreenivasan Laboratory at CSUMB. I am the Chair of the Faculty Affairs committee and active on the Academic Senate. I am also the District Director W-2 and faculty mentor for the TRIBETA biological honor society and mentor McNair and LSAMP Scholars and work closely with the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Center at CSUMB. I am an active member of the CSU Biology chairs council and the Strategic Planning Council for the CSU Program for Research in Biotechnology (CSUPERB). Finally I am on the editorial board for the Journal of Molecular Biology and Biology Education.
In my spare time I read voraciously, play tennis, practice yoga, run, and cook many meals for my family. Work/Life balance is a key component in my life, and I try and help my students achieve those same goals, while moving forward with their scientific careers.
Come and meet me to learn more about opportunities in my lab and with the organizations that I work with!
I collaborate with Doug Kellogg at UC Santa Cruz to study the control of cell size during the cell cycle, in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. I also have an ongoing collaboration with the Genomics Education Partnership in St. Louis in comparative genomics with Drosophila melanogaster. My newest collaboration is with the Joint Genome Institute, the Escobar lab at CSU San Marcos, and UC Davis. I am a strong advocate for undergraduate research and support students in their endeavors toward graduate school and beyond.
I have been a freelance science writer since 2001 and published articles in venues like Science magazine, Natural History magazine, The San Francisco Chronicle, and most recently Voices of Monterey Bay. I write one blog called Indianamericantalk.org.
I was the Program Coordinator for the Biology major at CSUMB for seven years. I now teach Genetics, Advanced Cell Biology, Eukaryotic Molecular Biology laboratory, and the Biology capstone courses. I manage research projects in the Sreenivasan Laboratory at CSUMB. I am the Chair of the Faculty Affairs committee and active on the Academic Senate. I am also the District Director W-2 and faculty mentor for the TRIBETA biological honor society and mentor McNair and LSAMP Scholars and work closely with the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Center at CSUMB. I am an active member of the CSU Biology chairs council and the Strategic Planning Council for the CSU Program for Research in Biotechnology (CSUPERB). Finally I am on the editorial board for the Journal of Molecular Biology and Biology Education.
In my spare time I read voraciously, play tennis, practice yoga, run, and cook many meals for my family. Work/Life balance is a key component in my life, and I try and help my students achieve those same goals, while moving forward with their scientific careers.
Come and meet me to learn more about opportunities in my lab and with the organizations that I work with!