William Tong, Ph.D., Department of ChemistryDistinguished Professor of Chemistry
Analytical Chemistry

 

Sanford Bernstein, Ph.D., Department of Biology

Professor Bernstein came to San Diego State in 1983 to help build the cell and molecular biology program. Today, it has more than 60 master’s students and approximately 40 doctoral students in a joint Ph.D. program with UCSD. Professor Bernstein has served as coordinator of the Ph.D. program since 2000.

In 2003, Professor Bernstein and College of Business Dean Gail Naughton collaborated to create a unique SDSU program for students seeking a research-based biology doctoral degree combined with a sound knowledge of business. This five-year MBA/Ph.D. degree teaches young scientists how to navigate the world of product development, sales and marketing.

In the Bernstein lab, a group of research associates, postdoctoral fellows, Ph.D. candidates, master’s students and undergraduates collaborate to study models of human cardiac and skeletal muscle diseases. The lab has operated for nearly 25 years with funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Professor Bernstein just learned that he should receive a new NIH award – with professor Tom Huxford in SDSU's chemistry and biochemistry department – to study the structure of a protein important in combating muscle stress.

At the center of Professor Bernstein’s award-winning research is the tiny fruit fly – Drosophila melanogaster. The lab produces transgenic strains of Drosophila to study how protein structure affects protein function during an organism’s development.

Professor Bernstein has also collaborated with academics from U.S. universities; from the Instituto Cajal and the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid in Spain; and from the University of Kent at Canterbury and the University of York in England on a variety of research studies involving gene expression and protein function in muscle cells.

He has received an American Heart Association Established Investigatorship and the coveted California State University Program for Education and Research in Biotechnology (CSUPERB) award.

A campus leader, Professor Bernstein has served as biology department chair, director of SDSU’s Molecular Biology Institute, board member of the SDSU Research Foundation, chair of the university’s copyrights and patents committee, and chair of the promotion committee within the College of Sciences.

MBRS Psychology Faculty Mentor
Emilio Ulloa, Ph.D. is Assistant Professor/Psychology Undergraduate Advisor in the Department of Psychology. He received his B.A. in Psychology from San Diego State University, and his Ph.D. in Social Psychology from Arizona State University. Dr. Ulloa's research interests focus on dating violence and violence against women prevention, social distinctiveness, ethnic, bicultural, and social identification, and undergraduate student success. He is Principle Investigator for the Psychology Undergraduate Assessment Project, aimed at curriculum assessment, tracking student success, identifying barriers to success, and program evaluation. He is also Principle Investigator of the College Student Dating Violence project which is aimed at identifying predictors of college student dating violence toward the implementation and evaluation of a prevention program. Dr. Ulloa holds a strong commitment and knowledge about student academic development, and currently teaches Academic & Career Opportunities in Psychology and Gradudate Psychology Application Strategies.

 

Michelle Lopez earned her B.S. in Biology from San Diego State University and a Teaching Credential (secondary) witha a CLAD (Cross Culture in Language and Academic Development) emphasis from the SDSU, Dept. of Education. Michelle has ten years' experience in science program administration, developing research and other professional development activities to mentor, support, and increase student competitveness for entry into graduate programs. She also serves as consultant to the San Diego Mesa College, NIH funded, Bridges to the Future Program, which exposes community college science students to research opportunities, as they transition into 4-year granting institutions. Her research interests include mentoring and retaining underrepresented students in the sciences.

Advisory Committee Members

Cathie Atkins, Ph.D., Associate Dean,
College of Sciences, Director, MARC Program

Sandy Bernstein, Ph.D., Biology
Cell & Molecular Joint Doctoral Program

Liz Klonoff, Ph.D., Psychology, Director
SDSU/UCSD Clinical Psychology Program

Claire Murphy, Ph.D., Chair, Dept. of Psychology

Bill Tong, Ph.D., Department of Chemistry

Public Health (to be announced)

---

Home - News - About - Students - Faculty -Administrator - Alumni - Publications -Handbook - Album - Links - Application - Site Administration