skip to main content
UTRGV

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Main Menu
Donate Now Directory myUTRGV

You are here:

Faculty & Staff Edinburg Campus Erin Schuenzel

Department of Biology College of Sciences

  • Home
  • Academics
    • Programs
      • Teacher Certification Program (UTeach)
    • Undergraduate
      • Welcome
      • Catalogs
      • Course Descriptions
      • Degree Plans & Forms
      • Minors for Biology
      • Scholarships
      • Who to Contact?
    • Graduate
      • Welcome
      • Catalogs
      • Degree Plan - Thesis Program
      • Degree Plan - Non-Thesis Program
      • Courses
      • Program Costs
      • Admitted Students
      • Graduate College
      • Resources
      • FAQ
  • Research
    • Faculty Research
    • Research Fields
  • Publications
  • Faculty & Staff
    • Edinburg Campus
    • Brownsville Campus
    • Faculty Research
  • News & Events
    • Seminars
    • Faculty News
    • Student News
    • Student Recognition
    • Student Organizations
    • Job Opportunities
      • Faculty Job Opportunities
      • Student Job Opportunities
  • Resources
    • Facilities
      • Electron Microscopy
      • Howard Hughes Medical Institute Lab
      • Herbarium
      • GPS Unit
      • Pollinator Garden
    • Cooperative Programs
      • USDA Program
    • Photo Gallery
    • Video Gallery
    • Documents
  • Contact Us

Personnel - Related Links

  • Edinburg Campus
  • Brownsville Campus
  • Faculty Research

Contact Us

Dr. Robert Dearth
Chair
Department of Biology
ESCNE 2.360
Email: robert.dearth@utrgv.edu
Phone: (956) 665-3537
Fax: (956) 665-3657

Quick Links

People Search Department Profile Degree Plan Forms Academic Advisors Faculty/Staff - Edinburg Campus Faculty/Staff - Brownsville Campus News and Events Student Organizations Job Opportunities

Erin Schuenzel, Ph.D.

Erin Schuenzel, Ph.D.

Erin Schuenzel, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
SCSI 1.332
Office: (665) 2229
Research Field
erin.schuenzel@utrgv.edu

Office Hours

Courses

General Biology (BIOL 1401, 1402)
Bacterial Genetics (BIOL 4417)
Plant Pathology (BIOL 4408)
Seminar (BIOL4100)

Education

Ph.D. Biology. 2005. University of California, Riverside, CA.
B.A. Biology. St. Mary's College of Maryland, MD.

Areas of Interest

Population structures of pathogens, bacterial genome, evolution, bioinformatics, computational biology, real-time PCR diagnostic assays.

Research

Current research in the lab includes:

1) Population structures of foreign and emergent pathogenic bacteria. Several of the bacteria currently under study include Candidatus Liberibacter ssp., Xylella fastidiosa, Xanthomonas campestris, Acidovorax avenae and Pseudomonas syringae. Multiple strains of the bacteria are analyzed at several genetic loci to understand how the strains are related to each other using bioinformatic techniques.

2) Population structures of plant pathogens. Plant pathogens are not restricted to bacteria and current work is also examining the genetics of invasive insect pathogens including fruit flies from the family Tephritidae and the Asian gypsy moth, Lymantira dispar.

3) Comparative genomics of bacteria. With the large number of bacterial genomes available, the ability to ask questions and test hypotheses on genome evolution is more accessible than ever. Current research is focusing on the role of natural selection in host adaptation, the effects of host immune response on bacterial pathogen evolution, the rate of recombination in genomes, and the effects of inversions on gene expression. While bacteria are the main focus of the lab, we are open to asking the same questions on other organisms such as population

Most Recent Publications

Curriculum Vitae

Jump to Top

UTRGV

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • CARES, CRRSAA and ARP Reporting
  • Site Policies
  • Contact UTRGV
  • Required Links
  • Fraud Reporting
  • Senate Bill 18 Reporting
  • UTRGV Careers
  • Clery Act Reports
  • Web Accessibility
  • Mental Health Resources
  • Sexual Misconduct Policy
  • Reporting Sexual Misconduct