Susan P. Gilbert Department Head
Modern biology studies life at all scales from individual molecules to single cells, organisms, and ecological networks. The Department of Biological Sciences is highly interdisciplinary and the core of the life sciences at Rensselaer. We are a broad-based interactive community of faculty, students, and staff whose research interests encompass nearly every area of modern biology including macromolecular structure and function, computational biology and bioinformatics, biochemistry and bioenergetics, nanobiology and biotechnology, cell and developmental biology and genetics, neuroscience, microbiology and host-pathogen interactions, microbial ecology and evolution, synthetic biology, and freshwater ecology.
Our mission is to achieve excellence in our teaching and training of undergraduate and graduate students, and to provide an environment where each individual can maximize his or her creativity and productivity. Our curricula and programs are based on the principle of providing the fundamental knowledge as well as the research and analytical skills required for the rapidly changing life sciences landscape. Our student laboratories include cutting-edge instrumentation and computation approaches to prepare the next generation of scientists that will work at the interface of the physical and biological sciences.
The diversity of scientific interests within the department and the Rensselaer community contributes to an exciting and interdisciplinary environment where we all strive to achieve our goals and dreams.
Research Focus
- Cell Biology, Biophysics and Biochemistry, Structure-Function Analysis of Kinesins
Contact
Blanca L. Barquera
Professor
Research Focus:
bacterial metabolism, bioenergetics and membrane proteins, mechanistic enzymologyFull Profile
Marvin Bentley
Assistant Professor
Research Focus:
Neuroscience, Cell Biology, Membrane traffickingFull Profile
Donna E. Crone
Sr. Lecturer
Research Focus:
engineered proteins, genetics engineering, genomicsFull Profile
Scott Forth
Assistant Professor
Research Focus:
Biophysics, Mechanics of Cell Division, Neuronal cytoskeletonFull Profile
Keith Fraser
Lecturer
Full Profile
Susan P. Gilbert
Department Head
Research Focus:
Cell Biology, Biophysics and Biochemistry, Structure-Function Analysis of KinesinsFull Profile
Michael H. Hanna
Associate Dean, Undergraduate Education
Research Focus:
academic advising, eukaryotic organisms, scientific teaching methodologiesFull Profile
Jennifer M. Hurley
Richard Baruch M.D. Career Development Chair
Research Focus:
Circadian Rhythms, Neurospora, MacrophagesFull Profile
Michael T. Klein
Lecturer
Full Profile
Lee Ligon
Associate Dean of Science for Academic Affairs
Research Focus:
Cell Biology, NeurosocienceFull Profile
Brad Lister
Lecturer
Research Focus:
ecology and evolutionary biology, ecological impacts of climate change, computational ecologyFull Profile
George I. Makhatadze
Constellation Chair
Research Focus:
bioinformatics, protein dynamics, protein foldingFull Profile
Sandra Nierzwicki-Bauer
Associate Director of DFWI
Research Focus:
environmental remote sensing, invasive species, water resource managementFull Profile
Seemanti Ramanath
Lecturer
Full Profile
Rick Relyea
David M. Darrin ’40 Senior Endowed Chair; Director, Darrin Fresh Water Institute; Director, Jefferson Project
Research Focus:
Ecology, Disease ecology, EcotoxicologyFull Profile
Kevin Rose
Frederic R. Kolleck ’52 Career Development Chair in Freshwater Ecology
Research Focus:
Aquatic Ecology, Biogeochemistry, Advanced Environmental SensorsFull Profile
Catherine Royer
Constellation Chair
Research Focus:
pressure effects on biomolecules, protein folding, protein interaction networksFull Profile
Eric Rutledge
Lecturer
Research Focus:
STEM education, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry (protein purification)Full Profile
Douglas Swank
Professor
Research Focus:
Heart Disease, Muscle Disease, Cardiac PhysiologyFull Profile
Chunyu Wang
Professor
Research Focus:
Alzheimer's disease: amyloid production, aggregation and interaction, Hedgehog autopocessing: mechanism and relevance to cancer, drug...Full Profile
Affiliated Faculty
Jonathan S. Dordick
Howard P. Isermann Professor Chemical and Biological Engineering
Research Focus:
Biocatalysis in Nonaqueous Media, Molecular Bioprocessing, Biocatalytic Materials and CoatingsFull Profile
Richard Gross
Professor, Constellation Chair Chemistry and Chemical Biology
Research Focus:
Polymer Chemistry, Bio-based building blocks, BiocatalysisFull Profile
Mattheos Koffas
Dorothy and Fred Chau ʼ71 Career Development Constellation Professor in Biocatalysis and Metabolic Engineering Chemical and Biological Engineering
Research Focus:
Metabolic Engineering, Industrial Microbiology, Synthetic BiologyFull Profile
Karyn Rogers
Associate Professor and Director, Rensselaer Astrobiology Research and Education Center (RARE) Earth and Environmental Sciences
Research Focus:
geomicrobiology, astrobiology, geochemistry