Faculty - University of Houston
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Faculty

Molly Albecker
Assistant Professor
Research Division: Ecology and Evolution (Primary)
Interests: Physiological and Eco-evolutionary Mechanisms that Affect Adaptation to Environmental Change; Wetland Ecology; Amphibians

maalbecker@uh.edu
Office: Science & Research 2, 353

Dinler Amaral Antunes
Assistant Professor
Research Division: Biochemistry (Primary)
Interests: Computational Biology, Structural Bioinformatics, Immunology, T-cell-based Immunotherapy

dinler@uh.edu
Office: Science & Engineering Research Center, 3007

Heidi Appel
Professor and Dean of Honors College
Research Division: Ecology and Evolution (Primary)
Interests: Plant Acoustic Ecology, Plant-Insect Interactions

happel@uh.edu
713-743-2356
Office: Honors College, M.D. Anderson Library, 212

Ricardo Azevedo
Professor
Research Division: Ecology and Evolution (Primary), Cell and Molecular Biology (Joint/Adjunct)
Interests: Evolutionary Genetics

razevedo@uh.edu
713-743-4149
Office: Science & Research 2, 350

Tasneem Bawa-Khalfe
Associate Professor
Research Division: Biochemistry (Primary)
Interests: Post-translational Modifications, Ubiquitin/SUMO, Chromatin Remodeling, Cell-Cell Adhesion, Cancer Metastasis

tbawa-khalfe@uh.edu
713-743-4288
Office: Science & Engineering Research Center, 3010

James Briggs
Professor and UH Associate Provost for Faculty Development and Faculty Affairs
Research Division: Biochemistry (Primary)
Interests: Computational Biochemistry/Biophysics; Computer-Aided Drug Design

jbriggs@uh.edu
713-743-8366
Office: E. Cullen 204B

Sanghyuk Chung
Associate Professor
Research Division: Cell and Molecular Biology (Primary)
Interests: Roles of hormones and their receptors in HPV-induced cervical cancer

schung@uh.edu
832-842-8181
Office: Science & Engineering Research Center, 3008

Blaine Cole
Professor
Research Division: Ecology and Evolution (Primary)
Interests: Evolution of Social Behavior and Origin of Complex Traits

bcole@uh.edu
713-743-2679
Office: Science & Research 2, 321G

Kerri Crawford
Associate Professor
Research Division: Ecology and Evolution (Primary)
Interests: (Policy Leader, Ecology and Evolution) Plant community ecology, ecological consequences of biodiversity, and plant-microbe interactions

kmcrawford3@uh.edu
713-743-8948
Office: Science & Research 2, 242F

Jacob Daane
Assistant Professor
Research Division: Cell and Molecular Biology (Primary), Ecology and Evolution (Joint/Adjunct)
Interests: Evolutionary and Developmental Genetics

jdaane@uh.edu
Office: Science & Research 2, 242D

Brigitte Dauwalder
Professor
Research Division: Cell and Molecular Biology (Primary)
Interests: Genetic and Molecular Control of Complex Behaviors in Drosophila

bdauwalder@uh.edu
713-743-2550
Office: Science & Research 2, 453G

Stuart Dryer
Moores Professor
Research Division: Cell and Molecular Biology (Primary)
Interests: Development and Molecular Neurobiology

sdryer@uh.edu
713-743-2697
Office: Science & Research 2, 242E

Qin Feng
Associate Professor
Research Division: Cell and Molecular Biology (Primary)
Interests: Chromatin, Epigenetics, and Gene Regulation

qfeng4@central.uh.edu
832-842-8824
Office: Science & Engineering Research Center, 3009

George E. Fox
Emeritus Professor and Research Professor
Research Division: Biochemistry (Primary), Ecology and Evolution (Joint/Adjunct)
Interests: (Research Professor) RNA Structure, Function, and Evolution

fox@uh.edu
713-743-8363
Office: Houston Science Center, 424

Robert Fox
Professor
Research Division: Biochemistry (Primary)
Interests: The Physical Basis of Protein Structure and Function

rofox@uh.edu
713-743-9300
Office: Science & Engineering Research Center, 4011

Tony Frankino
Associate Professor
Research Division: Ecology and Evolution (Primary)
Interests: (Associate Chair for Undergraduate Affairs) Evolution & Development; Ecology & Evolution of Multivariate Morphological Phenotypes

frankino@uh.edu
713-743-2173
Office: Science & Research 2, 321B

Masaya Fujita
Professor
Research Division: Biochemistry (Primary), Cell and Molecular Biology (Joint/Adjunct)
Interests: Microbial Development and Gene Regulation

mfujita@uh.edu
713-743-9479
Office: Houston Science Center, 430

Dan Graur
Moores Professor
Research Division: Ecology and Evolution (Primary), Biochemistry (Joint/Adjunct)
Interests: Theoretical Molecular Evolution and Bioinformatics

dgraur@uh.edu
713-743-7236
Office: Science & Research 2, 352

Preethi Gunaratne
Moores Professor
Research Division: Biochemistry (Primary)
Interests: Genomics, Developmental Biology and microRNAs underlying Gene Networks in Stem and Tumor Cells

phgunaratne@uh.edu
713-743-2686
Office: Science & Engineering Research Center, 4028

Jan-Åke Gustafsson
Robert A. Welch Professor
Research Division: Cell and Molecular Biology (Primary)
Interests: Nuclear receptors (NRs), esp. estrogen receptors and LXR receptors, NR comodulators

jgustafsson@uh.edu
832-842-8803
Office: Science & Engineering Research Center, 3027

Erin Kelleher
Associate Professor and Associate Chair for Graduate Affairs
Research Division: Cell and Molecular Biology (Primary), Ecology and Evolution (Joint/Adjunct)
Interests: Genome defense, transposable elements, DNA damage and repair, small RNA silencing, evolutionary genetics, natural variation

eskelleher@uh.edu
713-743-3640
Office: Science & Research 2, 421D

Seema Khurana
Moores Professor 
Research Division: Cell and Molecular Biology (Primary)
Interests: Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Colorectal Cancer, Mucosal Biology and PathoBiology

skhurana@uh.edu
713-743-2705
Office: Science & Research 2, 421E

Arne Lekven
Professor and Vice Chair 
Research Division: Cell and Molecular Biology (Primary)
Interests: Vertebrate development, gene regulation, cell signaling

alekven@uh.edu
713-743-7618
Office: Science & Research 2, 421G

Chin-Yo Lin
Associate Professor and Director of Masters in Biology
Research Division: Cell and Molecular Biology (Primary)
Interests: Mechanisms of Transcriptional Regulation by Estrogen Receptor Alpha

clin23@central.uh.edu
832-842-8182
Office: Science & Engineering Research Center, 3023

Yu Liu
Associate Professor
Research Division: Biochemistry (Primary)
Interests: Mechanisms of heart development and diseases

yliu54@uh.edu
713-743-8173
Office: Science & Engineering Research Center, 4006

Frank McKeon
Professor, Director of Somatic Stem Cell Center, and CPRIT Established Investigator in Cancer Research
Research Division: Cell and Molecular Biology (Primary)
Interests: Adult Stem Cells, Transcription Factor, Cell Cycle, Cancer, Tissue Regeneration

fdmckeon@uh.edu
713-743-0563
Office: Science & Engineering Research Center, 4023

Richard Meisel
Associate Professor
Research Division: Ecology and Evolution (Primary), Cell and Molecular Biology (Joint/Adjunct)
Interests: Evolutionary and Functional Genomics

rpmeisel@uh.edu
713-743-3607
Office: Science & Research 2, 421C

Martin A. Nuñez
Associate Professor
Research Division: Ecology and Evolution (Primary)
Interests: Biological Invasions, Belowground Ecology, Plant Ecology

nunezm@uh.edu
713-743-1114
Office: Science & Research 2, 221E

Mary Ann Ottinger
Emeritus Professor and Research Professor
Research Division: Ecology and Evolution (Primary), Cell and Molecular Biology (Joint/Adjunct)
Interests: (Research Professor) Interdisciplinary and Comparative Biology

maotting@central.uh.edu
713-743-8886
Office: Science & Research 2, 221E

Weiyi Peng
Associate Professor and Interim Director, Center for Nuclear Receptors and Cell Signaling
Research Division: Cell and Molecular Biology (Primary)
Interests: Interplay between Cancer and the Immune System, Cancer Immunotherapy

wpeng2@central.uh.edu
713-743-6941
Office: Science & Engineering Research Center, 3025

Steven Pennings
Moores Professor
Research Division: Ecology and Evolution (Primary)
Interests: Plant community ecology, plant-herbivore interactions, coastal wetlands

scpennin@central.uh.edu
713-743-2989
Office: Science & Research 2, 321F

Michael Rea
Professor
Research Division: Cell and Molecular Biology (Primary)
Interests: Neurobiology of Circadian Clock; Neurochemical Regulation of Circadian Phase

mrea@uh.edu
713-743-2682
Office: Science & Research 2, 254

Amy Sater
Professor
Research Division: Cell and Molecular Biology (Primary), Ecology and Evolution (Secondary)
Interests: Vertebrate Development; specification of neural and glial lineages; neural regeneration and repair

asater@uh.edu
713-743-2688
Office: Science & Research 2, 421F

Mehmet Şen
Associate Professor
Research Division: Biochemistry (Primary)
Interests: Molecular basis of receptor function and ligand interactions in health and disease

msen@uh.edu
713-743-1448
Office: Science & Engineering Research Center, 4012

Robert Schwartz
Hugh Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen Distinguished Professor
Research Division: Biochemistry (Primary)
Interests: Molecular Development and Drug Discovery

rjschwartz@uh.edu
832-630-1094
Office: Science & Engineering Research Center, 4004

Adam Stuckert
Assistant Professor
Research Division: Ecology and Evolution (Primary)
Interests: Ecology and Evolution of Aposematism; Ecology and Evolution of Amphibians; Ecological Genomics

astuckert@uh.edu
Office: Science & Research 2, 366

Quentin Vicens
Assistant Professor
Research Division: Biochemistry (Primary)
Interests: RNA structural biology, RNA-protein complexes, RNA-ligand interactions, regulatory RNA, mRNA, computational biology, cryo-electron microscopy, immunotherapy

qvicens@uh.edu
Office: Science & Engineering Research Center, 4021

Yuhong Wang
Professor
Research Division: Biochemistry (Primary)
Interests: Single molecule study of ribosome-small molecule interactions in protein biosynthesis

ywang60@uh.edu
713-743-7941
Office: Houston Science Center, 352

Margaret Warner
Professor
Research Division: Cell and Molecular Biology (Primary)
Interests: Ligand-activated Nuclear receptors in health and disease

mwarner@uh.edu
832-842-8812
Office: Science & Engineering Research Center, 3021 

Dan Wells
Professor and Dean, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
Research Division: Cell and Molecular Biology (Primary), Ecology and Evolution (Joint/Adjunct)
Interests: (Dean) Vertebrate Genetics and Genomics; Evolution of Development

dwells@uh.edu
713-743-2671
Office: Science & Research 1, 214

William Widger
Professor
Research Division: Biochemistry (Primary)
Interests: Bioenergetics; Electron Transport; Photosynthesis; Cyanobacterial Genomics

widger@uh.edu
713-743-8368
Office: Houston Science Center, 442

Diane Wiernasz
Associate Professor
Research Division: Ecology and Evolution (Primary)
Interests: Ecological Genetics and Sexual Selection

dwiernasz@uh.edu
713-743-2677
Office: Science & Research 2, 321E

Richard Willson
Professor
Research Division: Biochemistry (Joint)
Interests: Biomolecular Recognition, Diagnostics and Nanobiology

willson@uh.edu
713-743-4308
Office: Engineering 1, 228

Wangchao Xu
Assistant Professor
Research Division: Cell and Molecular Biology (Primary)
Interests: Neuroimmunology, Host-Microbe Interaction, Glia, Drosophila

wxu21@central.uh.edu
713-743-7353
Office: Science & Research 2, 221D

Hye-Jeong Yeo
Associate Professor
Research Division: Biochemistry (Primary)
Interests: Structural Molecular Biology; X-ray Crystallography

hyeo@uh.edu
713-743-8377
Office: Houston Science Center, 448

Ping Yi
Assistant Professor
Research Division: Biochemistry (Primary)
Interests: Cancer Biology, Cell Signaling, Nuclear Receptor Structure and Function

pyi3@central.uh.edu
713-743-7230
Office: Science & Engineering Research Center, 3021

Shaun Xiaoliu Zhang
M.D. Anderson Professor and Chair
Research Division: Cell and Molecular Biology (Primary)
Interests: (Chair) Cancer virotherapy, immunotherapy and gene therapy

shaunzhang@uh.edu
832-842-8842
Office: Science & Research 2, 369

Jokubas Ziburkus
Associate Professor
Research Division: Cell and Molecular Biology (Primary)
Interests: Neurophysiology of neuronal network interactions in normal and epileptic tissue

jziburkus@uh.edu
713-743-0659
Office: Health and Biomedical Sciences, 438

Rebecca Zufall
Associate Professor
Research Division: Ecology and Evolution (Primary), Cell and Molecular Biology (Joint/Adjunct)
Interests: Genome and Molecular Evolution; Evolution of Protists

rzufall@uh.edu
713-743-8172
Office: Science & Research 2, 321D