Biological Sciences (323) 343-2050

Robert A. Desharnais
Emeritus Professor of Biology; Ph.D., University of Rhode Island
Contact: (323) 343-2056
E-mail: bob@biollnext.calstatela.edu or rdeshar@calstatela.edu

  • Population ecology
  • Population genetics
  • Mathematical modeling
  • Computer simulation
  • Laboratory experiments involving flour beetles
  • Chaos theory
  • Application of technology to the teaching of science
  • Web resource for teaching genetics, called Virtual FlyLab

Ashley Heers
Assistant Professor of Biology; Ph.D., University of Montana
Contact: (323) 343-2072
E-mail: aheers@calstatela.edu

  • Functional morphology and anatomy
  • Biomechanics
  • Bird locomotion
  • Bird development and evolution
  • Feathered dinosaurs

Margaret Jefferson
Emerita Professor of Biology; Ph.D., University of Arizona
Contact: (323) 343-2059
E-mail: mjeffer@calstatela.edu

  • Human genetics
  • Human Genome Project
  • Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) undergraduate program
  • LSAMP-Bridge to the Doctorate (LSAMP-BD) graduate program

Patrick Krug
Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences; Ph.D., UCSD (Scripps Institution of Oceanography)
Contact: (323) 343-2076
E-mail: pkrug@calstatela.edu

  • Marine biology
  • Chemical communication
  • Sea slugs
  • Evolution and wetland ecology

Nancy McQueen
Professor of Biology; Ph.D., UCLA School of Medicine
Contact: (323) 343-2036
E-mail: nmcquee@calstatela.edu

  • Medical microbiology
  • Pathogenic bacteriology
  • Hematology Virology
  • Study of intracellular and surface transport of membrane proteins

Paul Narguizian
Associate Professor of Biological Sciences; Ed.D., University of Southern California
Contact: (323) 343-2054
Email: pnargui@calstatela.edu

  • K-12 science instruction
  • Curriculum development
  • Design issues associated with science education
  • Evolution education
  • Organisms of the California Channel Islands and Galapagos Islands
  • Science instruction and literacy issues
  • Informal science learning in museums and natural field settings
  • Models for the assessment of science learning

Fluent in: Armenian.

Hyunsook Park
Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences; Ph.D., Ewha Women’s University, Korea
Contact: (323) 343-2060
Email: hpark8@calstatela.edu

  • Microbiology
  • Mycology
  • Microbial pathgoenesis
  • Virulence mechanism of pathogenic fungi

Fluent in: Korean.

Edith Porter
Associate Professor of Biological Sciences; M.D., Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany
Contact: (323) 343-6353
E-mail: eporter@calstatela.edu

  • Medical microbiology
  • Immunology
  • Innate immunity
  • Host defense on mucosal surfaces
  • Inflammatory bowel disease
  • Salmonellosis
  • Sexually transmitted diseases
  • Cystic fibrosis
  • Novel antibiotics

Fluent in: German (Also speaks some French and Hungarian).

Carlos Robles
Emeritus Professor of Biology; Ph.D., UC Berkeley
Contact: (323) 343-2067 or (323) 343-5799
E-mail: crobles@hitide@calstatela.edu

  • Intertidal community ecology
  • Ecology and marine-related courses
  • Distribution of mussel beds and algae

Amelia Russo-Neustadt
Associate Professor of Biology; M.D./Ph.D., UC Irvine
Contact: (323) 343-2074
E-mail: arusson@calstatela.edu

  • Neuroscience
  • Neuropharmacology
  • Psychiatry
  • Developmental neurobiology research
  • Antidepressant treatments

Tina Salmassi
Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences; Ph.D., Caltech
Contact: (323) 343-2065
E-mail: tsalmas@calstatela.edu

  • Environmental microbiology
  • Microbial ecology

Fluent in: Armenian, some Farsi.

Sandra Sharp
Emerita Professor of Biology; Ph.D., UCLA
Contact: (323) 343-2072
E-mail: ssharp@calstatela.edu

  • Genetic engineering
  • Molecular biology