Faculty and Staff
Program Director
Last name starts with A
Mike Alonzo Associate Professor CAS | Environmental Science
I use satellite and drone imagery (plus other geospatial tools) to study forests and land cover change, mostly in urban or boreal domains. Current or recent projects include: 1) Urban trees and coolin…
Valentina Aquila Associate Professor CAS | Environmental Science
I am an atmospheric scientist focused on the role of aerosols in the climate system. My main focus is stratospheric aerosol, mostly from volcanic eruptions but also from pollution, forest fires, and g…
Last name starts with B
Barbara Balestra Senior Professorial Lecturer (Continuing) CAS | Environmental Science
I am a micropaleontologist and my research covers different aspects of paleoceanography and paleoclimate. In 2018, I joined the Environmental Science Department at American University as director of t…
John Bracht Associate Professor CAS | Biology
Short Summary of Bracht lab research interests: Given the central importance of the genome, it is surprising that some organisms simply eliminate significant portions of it from some or all cells. Gen…
Raychelle Burks Associate Professor CAS | Chemistry
After working in a crime lab, Dr. Burks returned to academia, teaching, and forensic science research. An analytical chemist, she enjoys the challenge developing detection methods for a wide-variety o…
Last name starts with C
Anny Cardenas Assistant Professor CAS | Biology
Dr. Cárdenas is a microbial ecologist interested in microbiome research. Her research has focused on understanding the diversity and function of microbial communities associated with corals and other …
David Carlini Associate Professor CAS | Biology
My research interests include the evolution and genetics of natural populations, and the molecular evolution of protein-coding genes.
Last name starts with D
Katie DeCicco-Skinner Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs CAS | Biology
Last name starts with F
Douglas Fox Professor and Department Chair, Chemistry CAS | Chemistry
Douglas M. Fox received his BS in Chemical Engineering and his PhD in Chemistry at Michigan Technological University, in Houghton, MI. He spent two years at the Naval Research Laboratory and two years…
Last name starts with H
Matt Hartings Associate Professor CAS | Chemistry
Matthew Hartings is a materials chemist and food scientist. His research aims to develop new materials (for 3D printing and environmental monitoring) and explore how materials are made by biology (bio…
Rebecca Hazen Senior Professorial Lecturer CAS | Biology
I am an evolutionary biologist and an urban ecologist. My research has focused on the evolution of plant-insect interactions and the mechanisms that shape the ecology of urban landscapes. My approach …
Last name starts with I
Taisuke Izumi Assistant Professor CAS | Biology
Emerging infectious diseases, including HIV and SARS, are defined as uncontrollable outbreaks of infectious diseases to break down public health. HIV is a globally epidemic virus that infects the immu…
Last name starts with K
K. L. Knee Associate Professor and Department Chair, Environmental Science CAS | Environmental Science
My research is centered around two main themes: (1) understanding how human activities like oil and gas extraction, mining, agriculture, and urban development affect water quality, and (2) using the n…
Chelsea Koch Assistant Professor CAS | Environmental Science
I am a marine scientist with a focus on Arctic ecosystems. My research involves the measurement of biomarkers, stable isotopes, and contaminants to understand how climate change and pollution are impa…
Monika Konaklieva Associate Professor CAS | Chemistry
Dr. Konaklieva’s research is in the area of exploring different approaches for delaying of microbial resistance. Current projects include computer-aided design and synthesis of novel beta-lactams as w…
Naden Krogan Associate Professor and Department Chair, Biology CAS | Biology
Dr. Krogan is a developmental biologist interested in how gene regulation guides the formation of complex tissues and organs in eukaryotes. The proper arrangement of these structures usually requires …
Last name starts with M
Stephen MacAvoy Associate Professor CAS | Environmental Science
Working in biogeochemistry and ecology, Professor MacAvoy has been particularly interested in how both nutrients and contaminants flow through, and are incorporated by, aquatic ecosystem components. R…
Last name starts with S
Catherine Schaeff Associate Professor CAS | Biology
Dr. Schaeff ‘s training is in evolutionary biology and behavior. Her current research* explores how sex, gender and sex/gender inform one’s identity or sense of self, and how one’s sense of self shape…
Sauleh Siddiqui Professor CAS | Environmental Science
Sauleh Siddiqui is a Professor of Environmental Science with an affiliation with the Department of Mathematics & Statistics at American University and a Research Fellow at the German Economic Research…
Last name starts with T
Santiago Toledo Associate Professor CAS | Chemistry
Dr. Toledo is a bioinorganic chemist with a passion to uncover the role that metals play in biological systems. His research team focuses on two main themes: a. the synthesis and reactivity of biomime…
Christopher Tudge Professor CAS | Biology
Dr. Tudge is a reproductive biologist with particular interests in the reproductive biology of invertebrates. His research focuses on the reproductive cells and associated structures, evolutionary mec…
Last name starts with Z
Alexander Zestos Associate Professor CAS | Chemistry
Dr. Zestos completed his B.S./M.S. in chemistry from the College of William and Mary, a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Virginia, and was a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Mi…
Shouzhong Zou Professor CAS | Chemistry
Shouzhong Zou earned his B.S. in Chemistry in 1991 and completed his MS studies in 1994 from Xiamen University, China. He received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Purdue University in 1999 under the direc…