Biology

Biology Faculty

Accelerated Pathway to Earn Both Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in
Biology (MS-BS)

Accelerated Pathway to Earn Both Bachelor’s in Biology and Master’s in
Neuroscience (MS-BS)

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Meet Our Faculty

Dr. Alejandra Alonso

Dr. Cesar Arenas-Mena

Dr. Robert Corin

Dr. Margaret Dooley

Dr. Aris Efting

Doctoral Lecturer/ Scientist/ Criminologist Michelle Marie Esposito

Dr. Michelle Marie Esposito

Dr. Ann Nancy Etsey

Dr. Jimmie Fata

Dr. Jianying Gu

Dr. Abdeslem El Idrissi

Dr. William L'Amoreaux

Dr. Nancy Liu-Sullivan

Dr. Lisa Manne

Dr. Shaibal Mitra

Prof. Adrienne Paez

Dr. Faiza Peetz

Dr. Greg Phillips

Professor and Chair of Biology Chang-Hui Shen

Dr. Chang-Hui Shen

Assistant Professor of Epidemiology Shiryn Devi Sukhram

Dr. Shiryn Devi Sukhram

Dr. Richard Veit

Dr. William Wallace

Dr. Andrzej Wieraszko

Director of Pre Health Advisement Grozdena Yilmaz

Prof. Grozdena Yilmaz

Dr. Muhammad Zia

Biology Department Overview

As a department, our mission is founded on the premise that excellence in teaching and excellence in research complement each other. We have an exciting diverse faculty whose expertise encompasses Biology as a whole and it is our aim to be able to provide our students with training in all major sub-disciplines of Biology. We encourage students to participate in faculty directed research through independent study, often leading to a co-authored publication. We recognize that a large number of our students enter professional programs (Medical Laboratory Science and Nursing) or pursue professional degrees (MD, DDS, DPM and DPT etc.) as well as entering CSI graduate programs (Masters degree) in Biology, Neuroscience and Environmental Science and the CUNY Ph.D. program. Many of our faculty hold Dual appointments with the Graduate Center.

In conjunction with the mission of the college, the Biology Department embraces the strength of our diversity, fosters civic mindedness and nurtures responsible citizens for city, country and the world.

Programs in Biology Department

Undergraduate Program

View all courses in College Catalog

Study of the biological sciences is a major requirement for students who wish to specialize in such fields as plant or animal research, and for students who plan to enter various health professions, such as medicine, nursing, dentistry, medical laboratory science, physician assistant, and physical therapy. The Department offers a varied and balanced program for biology and health profession majors, and three options in the BS degree program in Biology: Biology major, biology/adolescence education, and bioinformatics.

Bachelors

Graduate Program

View all courses in College Catalog

A representative from the College of Staten Island will be attending events and will be available to meet with you to answer questions about the program. Click here to view a list of events.

The Department of Biology at the College of Staten Island offers graduate degrees in Biology. The degrees are designed to provide research training in a variety of disciplines in biology, as well as prepare secondary education teachers with coursework and projects to prepare the scientists of the future.

Masters

PhD Programs

Biology Department Activities

Faculty Achievements

Faculty	Research Interest	Achievements
Dr. Alejandra Alonso	Dr. Alonso investigates neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases using molecular biology techniques to study the effects of pseudo-phosphorylated proteins on cytoskeletal dynamics.	Link
Dr. Cesar Arenas-Mena	Dr. Arenas-Mena focuses on developmental gene regulatory networks in marine invertebrate embryos, transcriptional multipotency mediated by histone variants, and evolution of gene regulation, using molecular biology, microscopy, and bioinformatics.	Link
Dr. Robert Corin	Dr. Corin studies mechanisms of growth regulation in cancer cells, including the role of histone acetylation and mast cell differentiation, and investigates neuro-inflammation in ALS pathology using in vitro and in vivo mouse models.	Link
Dr. Margaret Dooley	Dr. Dooley studies molecular genetics, focusing on plasmid cloning and restriction enzymes. Her work involves understanding plasmids like pBR325 and using them with restriction enzymes for DNA analysis.	Link
Dr. Aris Efting	Dr. Efting investigates the environmental factors leading to freshwater harmful algal blooms, the connection between chronic low-dose exposure to algal toxins and neurodegenerative diseases, and efforts in lake, stream, and forest restoration.	Link
Dr. Michelle Esposito	Dr. Esposito explores the impact of the microbiome on human health and the environment, and the challenges biofilms pose in medical and dental fields.	Link
Dr. Ann Nancy Etsey	Dr. Etsey focuses on diabetes, male reproductive disorders, the role of oxidative stress and antioxidants, cancer research, and medical education research.	Link
Dr. Jimmie Fata	Dr. Fata research focuses on breast cancer and breast biology, focusing on the development and differentiation of the mouse mammary gland and cellular behavior signaling modules. He also studies Phytochemicals and Machine Learning Applications.	Link
Dr. Jianying Gu	Dr. Gu specializes in comparative evolutionary genomics, functional genomics, and the systems biology of infectious diseases, with a focus on malaria.	Link
Dr. Abdeslem El Idrissi	Dr. El Idrissi’s research focuses on the development of the GABAergic system, its link to developmental disorders like fragile X syndrome and autism, and the effects of environmental toxins on neurodevelopment. It also includes studies on the role of taurine in the brain and other organs.	Link
Dr. William L'Amoreaux	Dr. L’Amoreaux works in the fields of cell biology, microscopy, and neurobiology.	Link
Dr. Nancy Liu-Sullivan	Dr. Liu-Sullivan identifies cytokine genes from cancer-associated fibroblasts that influence breast cancer cell proliferation and migration and utilizes 3D tumor-stromal co-culture model systems and RNAi screening.	Link
Dr. Lisa Manne	Dr. Manne studies biogeography and conservation, with a focus on testing models of abundance across large geographic areas for bird and plant species.	Link
Dr. Shaibal Mitra	Dr. Mitra studies avian ecology, evolution, and conservation, with a specific interest in migration, host-parasite interactions, and mating systems.	Link
Prof. Adrienne Paez	Prof. Paez’s research is centered on Medical Laboratory Sciences and Microbiology.	Link
Dr. Faiza Peetz	Dr. Peetz’s research encompasses gut-brain axis research, the study of phytochemicals with antioxidant properties, cancer research, and metagenomics.	Link
Dr. Greg Phillips	Dr. Phillips focuses on the role of cell adhesion molecules in neurodevelopment, particularly the function of clustered proto-cadherins in mediating dendritic and synaptic cell adhesion.	Link
Dr. Chang-Hui Shen	Dr. Shen investigates the mechanism of gene expression, including the role of chromatin structure in gene activation and functional analysis of chromatin remodeling complexes.	Link
Dr. Shiryn Sukhram	Dr. Sukhram focuses on public health, examining chronic disease risk factor epidemiology with emphasis on psychosocial risk factors, health-related risk behaviors, and sociodemographic factors.	Link
Dr. Richard Veit	Dr. Veit studies the foraging ecology and behavior of seabirds, especially in the Antarctic, and the conservation, ecology, and behavior of vertebrate animals, primarily in field research.	Link
Dr. William Wallace	Dr. Wallace researches the toxicity of pollutants to aquatic invertebrates, the transfer of pollutants up food chains, and factors influencing metal detoxification.	Link
Prof. Grozdena Yilmaz	Prof. Yilmaz research focuses on health science, physiology, women's health, urology, and the study of electrophysiology and urodynamics.	Link
Dr. Muhammad Zia	Dr. Zia focuses on diabetes and its complications, cardiovascular health and diseases, and medical education research.	Link