overview

• I am in my 30th year at ECU and hold the rank of Professor in the Biology Department. From 2008-2022, I served as ECU's Director of Undergraduate Research, promoting faculty-mentored and course-based research in all fields. In my lab from 1994-2013, my research focused on protein synthesis in mitochondria, and later expanded to include apoptosis in cancer cells. I mentored 50 undergraduate students as well as master's students in my laboratory, which was funded by the American Cancer Society, NC Biotechnology Center and NIH. In 2018 I was appointed as Assistant Vice-Chancellor in the Division of Research, Economic Development and Engagement (now Office of Research), having been interim for three years. I oversee faculty intramural grant programs, limited submissions, and support new faculty in their research endeavors. I also oversee undergraduate research and postdoctoral affairs. I was PI of an NSF S-STEM grant, and in 2012 I founded the BioLLC, a living-learning community to support first generation students in Biology. I have been co-PI on TEAMS-UR, funded by the NSF IUSE program, and key personnel on THRIVE@ECU, an NSF ADVANCE grant. I am coordinator on a NSF INCLUDES Alliance grant, RISE-UPP, to support postdoc pathways to academic careers.