Faculty

Professor Tzagarakis-Foster's research has focused on Nuclear Hormone Receptors, a large family of eukaryotic transcription factors that play key roles in a diverse array of physiological and developmental processes.  During her graduate studies, she studied an oncogenic form of Thyroid Hormone receptor and its role in transcriptional regulation.  As a postdoctoral fellow, Prof. Tzagarakis-Foster studied Estrogen Receptors and their role in breast cancer.  At USF, she studies the orphan receptor...

Professor Young’s research has focused on understanding the mechanism of macromolecular machines, and the application of this to developing more effective protein drugs. His PhD work involved understanding how RNA polymerase is able to melt promoters to gain access to the template strand for RNA synthesis. As a postdoctoral fellow at Berkeley, he sought to isolate actomyosin cytokinetic rings to better understand how this complicated apparatus divides cells. Following his postdoc, he...

Luwei Xie is a higher education professional specializing in program management, strategic planning, and partnership development. As a program leader, he has driven significant growth for biotechnology programs. Luwei has forged partnerships with biotechnology industry while leading day-to-day operations and executing data-driven strategies. His expertise spans developing career programs, enhancing student diversity, and organizing high-impact events that connect students with industry leaders...

Associate Professor Moira Gunn is a former NASA scientist, engineer and software programmer. Gunn is internationally recognized for her work with global biotechnology business and emerging global information systems. Her pioneering research continues to investigate and inform the next generation of conscientious developers and leaders in biotechnology and information systems.

As one of the leading drivers behind the Business of Biotechnology Program, Gunn teaches classes on the legal, ethical...

As a graduate student, Professor Lai performed a biochemical and structural analysis of the enzyme telomerase. Following graduate school, he worked in early-stage research at Genentech where he investigated the Hedgehog signing pathway and its role in tumorigenesis. Most recently, Prof. Lai served as the head of commercial operations at the biotechnology start-up company LakePharma.

Professor Naupaka Zimmerman is broadly interested in the intersection of microbial community and ecosystem ecology. His lab research focuses on the ecology of plant-microbe interactions, with a particular focus on asymptomatic foliar fungi (also known as fungal endophytes).

Born and raised on the Big Island of Hawai'i, Professor Zimmerman continues to conduct some of his research there, focusing on the endemic Hawaiian tree Metrosideros polymorpha. At USF, he has expanded his research to...