Hometown: Agra, India
- B.Tech.: IIT-Varanasi, India
- M.S.: University of Michigan
- PhD: University of Michigan
Joined UC Merced: 2012
Current Research Focus:
The Biomechanics and Mechano-biology program focuses on research in core areas of Mechanics, Dynamics or Controls with applications to Biology and Medicine:
- Deformations of Biological Filaments
- Constitutive Modeling from Atomistic Details
- Understanding Motor Symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease (PD) from Controls Theory
- Early Diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease
- Effect of Deep-Brain Stimulation on PD
- Management of Motor Symptoms of PD from the Perspective of Human Biomechanics
Biomechanics
Areas of expertise:
- Dynamics and Controls
- Mechanics of Biological Filaments
- Human Biomechanics
Graduate Student Research:
- Inverse Methods for Mapping Constitutive Law of Biological Filaments
- Dynamics of Active Filaments
Teaching Responsibilities
Undergraduate Courses: Strength of Materials, Introduction to Multi-body Dynamics Graduate Courses: Introduction of Multi-body Dynamics, Continuum MechanicsCurrent Graduate Students: 3
Community Affiliation:
- Member of HSRI Executive Committee
Current Funding Needs:
- Graduate student, post-doc research
- Collaborative research on Parkinson’s disease
Recent Success:
- ILTI grant for development of Online course on Strength of Materials
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Hometown: Sydney, Australia
- B.S.: Macquarie University
- M.S.: Victoria University
- PhD.: University of Adelaide
Post Doc: Yale University
Joined UC Merced: 2015
Current Research Focus:
Understanding the evolutionary processes which drive the emergence of antibiotic resistant pathogens and develop new strategies to combat them:
- Examining how microbes evolve over time and space using a broad range of organismal systems, with a focus on microbiome studies, multi-drug resistant bacteria and RNA viruses. Utilizing high throughput genetic sequencing to provide genomic scale data, which is then analyzed to test developed hypotheses.
- Molecular ecology
- Phylogenetics
- Comparative genomics of trypanosomes
Bioinformatics and Genomics
Areas of expertise:
- Genomics
- Comparative genomics
- High throughput sequencing
- Evolutionary biology
- Antibiotic resistance
- Microbiomes
Graduate Student Research:
- Microbial symbioses and venom production
- Antibiotic resistance evolution and transfer
Teaching Responsibilities
Undergraduate Courses: Genetics, Evolutionary Medicine Graduate Courses: Evolutionary DynamicsCurrent Graduate Students: 2
Community Affiliation:
- Society for the Study of Evolution
- Society of Systematic Biologists
Current Funding Needs:
- Funding to support research staff and generate sequence data for antimicrobial resistance studies.
Recent Success:
- 2017 Hellman Fellowship
- 2017 Mexus Award
- 2016 JGI CSP Grant
- 2016 UC Merced Faculty Research Award
- 2016 JGI Director’s Grant
Hometown: West Bloomfield, MI
- B.A.: University of Michigan
- M.A.: UC Davis
- PhD: UC Davis
Post Doc: UCSF
Joined UC Merced: 2008
Current Research Focus:
Understanding processes and developing the means to inform individuals, from teens to policy makers, to make better decisions that impact their health. Current research focuses specifically on:
- Adolescent and Young Adult Risk Behaviors
- Health Disparities in Health Behavior
- Personailty Profiling
Health Psychology; Psychological Epidemiology
Areas of expertise:
- Tobacco Use
- E-Cigarettes
- Poly-Substance Abuse
- UnHealthy Eating Patterns
- Beliefs on Risks, Benefits, and Consequences Associated with Behaviors
- Cultural Factors Affecting Health DIsparities
Graduate Student Research:
- Smoking risk perceptions in adolescents and young adults
- Eating and exercise behaviors
Teaching Responsibilities
Undergraduate Courses: Health Disparities and Personality Psychology Graduate Courses: Health Disparities and Health Risk BehaviorsCurrent Graduate Students: 2
Community Affiliation:
- American Public Health Association
- HSRI's Translational Research Group
- Memeber of HSRI Executive Committee
Current Funding Needs:
- Funding to support research staff to facilitate participant recruitment and data collection
Recent Success:
- Co-Primary Investigator on $3 Million grant NCI Grant Examining the Effect of Tobacco Advocacy at the State Level
- Author for the last Surgeon General’s report on adolescent tobacco use (2012)
Hometown: Beatrice,NE
- B.A.: Bethel College, Newton, KS
- MPH: University of Alabama
- PhD: University of Alabama
Joined UC Merced: 2013
Current Research Focus:
Health and illness occur in the context of daily family life; by understanding these processes, we have the potential to promote better health, better illness management, and better family relationships.
- Parent-child relationships and diabetes management
- Ethnic disparities in diabetes management
- Managing diabetes during adolescence
- Executive functions and illness management; Depression and diabetes.
- Family interventions to promote HPV vaccine uptake in pediatric care
- Stress, coping and health
- Couples coping with prostate cancer
Health Psychology; Pediatric Psychology
Areas of expertise:
- Clinical Psychology
- Pediatric Psychology
- Health Psychology
- Adolescent Health
- Emerging Adulthood
Graduate Student Research:
- Socioeconomic and ethnic disparities in pediatric disease management
- Resilience, stress, and health
- Social support and diabetes management
Teaching Responsibilities
Undergraduate Courses: Health Psychology; Clinical Psychology Graduate Courses: Relationships and Health; Teaching PracticumCurrent Graduate Students: 3
Community Affiliation:
- UCM Alliance for Child & Family Health and Development
- Member of HSRI Executive Committee
Current Funding Needs:
- Funding to support research staff to facilitate participant recruitment and data collection in health clinics and hospital settings
Recent Success:
- Scholarly lead on a special issue of the American Psychologist to inform a wide audience (patients, providers, researchers, clinicians) about the central role of psychology in diabetes.
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