Regular Faculty
Gary Schindelman, Co-Chair
Resident Professor, Biochemistry
B.S., State University of New York at Binghamton; Ph.D., New York University
In addition to teaching at Occidental, Gary Schindelman is a biological curator for WormBase at Caltech.
Andrew K. Udit, Co-Chair
John Stauffer Professor of Chemistry
H.B.Sc., University of Toronto; Ph.D., Caltech
Andrew Udit鈥檚 research in Chemical Biology focuses on exploiting virus-like nanoparticles, and catalysis using enzymes.
Advisory Committee
Renee Baran
Professor, Biology
B.A., Macalester College; Ph.D., UC Berkeley
Prof. Baran studies neuron development, including microtubule-based mechanisms that underlie axon outgrowth and synapse formation.
Jeffrey Cannon
Associate Professor, Chemistry
B.A. SA国际传媒; Ph.D. University of California, Irvine
Jeff Cannon teaches Organic Chemistry and does research in organic synthesis and catalysis.
Chris Craney
Professor, Chemistry
B.S., University of Puget Sound; M.S., D.A., Washington State University
Chris Craney teaches physical chemistry I (kinetics) and biochemistry.
Douglas Duquette
Resident Associate Professor, Chemistry
B.A., M.A., Harvard University; Ph.D., Caltech
Office Hours:
Tuesdays & Fridays from 2:30 pm to 4:00 pm
Shana Goffredi
Professor, Biology
B.A., University of San Diego; Ph.D., UC Santa Barbara
Prof. Goffredi鈥檚 research interests concern beneficial symbiotic partnerships between bacteria and invertebrates
John McCormack
Director and Curator of the Moore Laboratory of Zoology; Professor, Biology
B.S., University of Arizona; Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles
Prof. McCormack studies bird evolution and the effects of landscape and climate change on biodiversity.
Karen Molinder
Resident Assistant Professor, Biology
B.A. Occidental, Ph.D U.C.L.A.
Dr. Molinder teaches biochemistry and molecular biology.
Raul Navarro
Associate Professor, Chemistry
B.S., Yale University; Ph.D., California Institute of Technology
Raul Navarro鈥檚 research focus lies in developing new transition metal-catalyzed reactions and applying them in the synthesis of biologically active natural products.
Gretchen North
John W. McMenamin Endowed Chair in Biology
B.A., Stanford University; M.A., University of Connecticut; M.A., College of William and Mary; Ph.D., UCLA
Prof. North investigates how plants cope with stressful environments such as hot deserts, dry shrub lands, tropical tree canopies, and fire-prone landscapes, with a primary focus on how plants cope with limited water.
Cheryl Okumura
Associate Professor, Biology
B.A. Pomona College; Ph.D. UCLA
Prof. Okumura studies interactions between bacterial pathogens and human immune cells at the cellular level.
Gary Schindelman
Resident Professor, Biochemistry
B.S., State University of New York at Binghamton; Ph.D., New York University
In addition to teaching at Occidental, Gary Schindelman is a biological curator for WormBase at Caltech.
Joseph Schulz
Professor, Biology
B.S., Indiana University; Ph.D., UC San Diego
Prof. Schulz studies the biology of cone snails, venomous marine gastropods whose peptide neurotoxins are highly selective modulators of ion channels and cell surface receptors.
Vikram V. Shende
Assistant Professor, Chemistry
B.S. University of Michigan-Dearborn; M.S., Ph.D. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Vik Shende teaches Biochemistry and Organic Chemistry, and his research group investigates how enzymes can be used to efficiently assemble complex molecules.
Kerry Thompson
Professor, Biology
B.A., M.A., Ph.D., UCLA
Professor Thompson鈥檚 research explores the causes and potential treatments for neurological diseases such as epilepsy and Parkinson鈥檚 disease. This includes histology, pharmacology, genetic engineering, and transplantation. We use models that have included a combination of in vivo and in vitro techniques. Currently we are focused on stem cell fusion, and the use of optogenetics.
Andrew K. Udit
John Stauffer Professor of Chemistry
H.B.Sc., University of Toronto; Ph.D., Caltech
Andrew Udit鈥檚 research in Chemical Biology focuses on exploiting virus-like nanoparticles, and catalysis using enzymes.