Department of Natural Sciences Faculty

Radwan Abu-Issa, Assistant Professor of Biology; Ph.D. Baylor College of Medicine
Research Interests: Heart tube development in the chick; morphological and functional dissection of a new model of heart tube development in the chick carried out by 3D reconstruction and vital dye labeling.
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Richard Adler, Associate Professor of Microbiology; Ph.D. Pennsylvania State University
Research Interests: Coronavirus infection and replication; History of Science.
Microbiology Chair and Concentration Advisor
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Larry D. Alexander, Assistant Professor of Biology; Ph.D. Meharry Medical College
Research Interests: Signal transduction in renal epithelial cells, G protein mediated transactivating tyrosine kinase receptors.
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Angela Allen, Lecturer in Chemistry; M.S. Wayne State University
Research Interests: Development and evaluation of laboratory experiments for use in organic chemistry.
Chemistry/ Instructional Track Advisor
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Krisanu Bandyopadhyay, Assistant Professor of Chemistry; Ph.D. University of Calcutta
Research Interests: Preparation and characterization of structurally well-defined organic monolayers on solid surfaces by self assembly.
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Ali Bazzi, Professor of Chemistry; Ph.D. Wayne State University
Research Interests: Trace metal speciation in natural waters with electrochemical techniques. Analytical methods development with chromatographic, spectrometric and voltammetric techniques applicable to environmental and biological samples.
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Donald J. Bord, Professor of Physics; Ph.D. Dartmouth College
Research Interests: Stellar spectroscopy of chemically peculiar stars, ultraviolet observations of stars, photometric measurements of long-period variable stars.
Interim Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs 2008-09
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Anne Danielson-Francois, Assistant Professor of Biology; Ph.D.University of Arizona
Research Interests: Evolution of mating behavior in the orb-weaving spiders
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Mark DeCamp, Associate Professor of Chemistry; Ph.D. Princeton University
Research Interests: Investigation of organic reaction mechanisms by deuterium labeling; organic synthesis
Preprofessional Advisor
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Yiwei Deng, Associate Professor of Chemistry; Ph.D. Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) and Swiss Federal Institute for Environmental Science and Technology (EAWAG)
Research Interests: Development of analytical methods for environmental and food applications and the study of pathways, mechanisms and kinetics of chemical and photochemical reactions.
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John F. Devlin, Associate Professor of Physics; Ph.D. Michigan State University
Research Interests: Theoretical solid state physics, especially structural properties of metals.
Physics Concentration Advisor
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Craig J. Donahue, Associate Professor of Chemistry; Ph.D. University of Massachusetts
Research Interests: The study of eight-coordinate early transition metal complexes. Study of the chelating ability of 2-selenopyridine and related heterocyclic ligands.
Chemistry Concentration Co-Advisor
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Orin Gelderloos, Professor of Biology and Environmental Science; Ph.D. Northwestern University
Research Interests: Watershed Analysis, Ecology and Science Education. Floodplain Forest Ecology; Migration, Orientation and Navigation of Birds.
Director of Natural Areas and Environmental Studies Concentration Advisor
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James M. Hetrick, Lecturer in Physics and Coordinator of Physics Laboratories; Ph.D. University of Illinois-Champaign/Urbana
Research Interests: Physics instruction and computers in introductory physics laboratories.
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William P. Kovalak, Lecturer in Biology; Ph.D. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Research Interests: Freshwater biology and fisheries.
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Bette Kreuz, Lecturer in Chemistry; M.S. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Research Interests: Development and incorporation of instrumentation into the chemistry curriculum.
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Daniel Lawson, Associate Professor of Chemistry; Ph.D. Michigan State University
Research Interests: Computational studies of the electronic structure and molecular properties of molecules containing transition metal atoms.
Chemistry Discipline Chair
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Simona Marincean, Assistant Professor of Chemistry; Ph.D. Michigan State University
Research Interests: Hydritic-to-protonic hydrogen bonding; catalytic chemistry for tomorrow's biomass refineries: mechanistic insights from glycerol hydrogenolysis to propylene glycol.
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David C. Matzke, Lecturer in Physics; M.S. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Research Interests: Studies of Jupiter's magnetic fields at radiofrequencies, quasi-stellar objects, Seyfert galaxies, non-solar X-ray and gamma ray astronomy.
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Donald Miller, Senior Lecturer in Biology; M.S. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Research Interests: Botany.
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M. Kazem Mostafapour, Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Chemistry; Ph.D. Wayne State University
Research Interests: Cell surface glycoproteins, sialyltransferases and lens structural proteins.
Biochemistry Concentration Co-Advisor
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Kent S. Murray, Professor of Earth Science and Environmental Science; Ph.D. University of California-Davis
Research interests: Sources of pollution to the Great Lakes; land use impacts on groundwater and surface water quality; contaminant hydrogeology and investigation of hazardous waste sites; brownfield site assessment and redevelopment.
Geology/Earth Science Concentration Advisor
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Vaman Naik, Professor of Physics; Ph.D. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Research Interests: Experimental Condensed Matter Physics and Biophysics.
Chair, Department of Natural Sciences
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Jacob Napieralski, Assistant Professor of Earth Science/Geology; Ph.D. Purdue University-West Lafayette
Research interests: Glacial geology and geomorphology; surface hydrology; Geographic Information Systems.
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Judy M. Nesmith, Senior Lecturer in Biology; M.S. Michigan State University
Research Interests: Benthic macroinvertebrate community analysis. Activity patterns of terrestrial arthropods. Invertebrate zoology. Science education.
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Charlotte A. Otto, Professor of Chemistry; Ph.D. University of Illinois
Research Interests: Reform of science courses for pre-service elementary education majors; science education.
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Marilee Benore Parsons, Professor of Biology and Biochemistry and Professor of Women and Gender Studies; Ph.D. University of Delaware
Research Interests: Characterization of Riboflavin Binding Protein gene regulatory events and structure.
Biochemistry Program Chair and Concentration Co-Advisor

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Philip Pokorski, Lecturer in Biology and Chemistry; Ph.D. Wayne State University
Research Interests: Heavy metal toxicology. Forensic science.
Biochemistry Concentration Co-Advisor
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Jeffrey J. Prentis, Professor of Physics; Ph.D. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Research Interests: Statistical physics, complexity, fractals, physics history and education.
Physics Discipline Chair 2006-09
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John F. Riebesell, Associate Professor of Biology; Ph.D. The University of Chicago
Research Interests: Population Biology and Plant Ecology. Phyotosynthetic adaptations in plants. Effects of environmental modification on community stability in model ecosystems.
Environmental Sciences Concentration Advisor
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Jean M. Saillant, Lecturer in Biology; M.A. Indiana University
Research Interests: Brain amines and passage of drugs across placental barrier.
Biology Concentration Advisor
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Robert L. Simpson, Professor of Biology; Ph.D. Cornell University
Research Interests: Ecology. Freshwater wetland ecology and community and ecosystem dynamics.
Director of the MS in Environmental Science Program
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Sheila R. Smith, Assistant Professor of Chemistry; Ph.D. University of North Carolina
Research Interests: Bioinorganic Chemistry. NOx reduction by siderophore complexes. Copper binding to riboflavin binding protein. Electron paramagnetic resonance of copper and iron in biological systems.
Chemistry Concentration Co-Advisor
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Ogie Stewart, Lecturer in Chemistry; Ph.D. Wayne State University
Research Interests: Chemical vapor deposition of thin films.
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David J. Susko, Assistant Professor of Biology; Ph.D. University of Windsor, Canada
Research Interests: Maternal effects of weed seed populations and communities and plant classification based on patterns of ovule fate.
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Carrie Swift, Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy; Ph.D. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Research Interests: Computational astrophysics, simulations of emission, absorption and propagation of radiation through relativistic radio jets.
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John C. Thomas, Professor of Biology; Ph.D. University of Arizona
Research Interests: Plant Molecular Biology. Expression of insecticidal and anti-viral genes for plant protection. Molecular basis of responses to environmental stress and plant growth regulators.
Biology Discipline Chair
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Sonia M. Tiquia, Associate Professor of Biology and Microbiology; Ph.D. The University of Hong Kong
Research Interests: Waste processing biology and microbiology, microbial community structure and dynamics in natural environments and the use of genomic technology in environmental microbiology and microbial ecology.
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Paul W. Zitzewitz, Professor of Physics, CASL, and Professor of Science Education, SOE; Ph.D. Harvard University
Research Interests: Use of positrons and positronium to test fundamental theories of physics. Physics education.
On Furlough leave 2008-09 academic year.
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Department of Natural Sciences Former and Emeriti Faculty, 2007

Frank Garland, Emeritus Professor of Chemistry; Ph.D. University of Maryland
Research Interests: The mechanism of myosin and actinomyosin ATPase and its relationship to energy transduction in cardiac and skeletal muscle.

Judith E. Heady, Emerita Associate Professor of Biology; Ph.D. University of Colorado.
Research interests: Embryology and Science Education.

Arunajallam Nadasen, Emeritus Professor of Physics; Ph.D. Indiana University
Research Interests: Experimental nuclear physics; elastic scattering, knowckout reactions, heavy-ion collisions.

Richard Norman, Emeritus Associate Professor of Biology; Ph.D. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Research Interests: Neurobiology. Invertebrate neurophysiology, small neural systems, synaptic integration. Mathematical analysis and modeling of physiological systems.

Gordon Parker, Former Senior Lecturer in Chemistry; Ph.D. Wayne State University

Richard A. Potts, Emeritus Professor of Chemistry; Ph.D. Northwestern University
Research Interests: Chemistry of mercury and gold with emphasis on their less common +1 oxidation states.

Henry Povolny, Former Senior Lecturer in Physics; M.S. Ohio State University

Michael J. Schneider, Emeritus Professor of Biology; Ph.D. The University of Chicago
Research Interests: Plant Physiology. Photmorphogenesis, photosensory physiology, thermal sensory physiology. The actions of phytochrome in the mediation of plant growth and development.

Elaine Stein, Former Senior Lecturer in Chemistry; M.S. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor