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Faculty Success COS Writing-Mentoring Program 2021

College of Sciences Office of the Dean

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Dean's Office
College of Sciences
ESCNE 4.601
Email: cos@utrgv.edu
Phone: (956) 665-2404 (Edinburg)
Phone Alt: (956) 882-6701 (Brownsville)
Fax: (956) 665-3067
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2021 COS Writing Mentors and Mentees

Mentors

Dr. Megan Keniry

Assistant Professor
Phone: (956) 665-7463
Email: megan.keniry@utrgv.edu
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Dr. Megan Keniry

Dr. Megan Keniry is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Her laboratory explores signal transduction and gene expression mechanisms of prevalent cancers, including basal breast cancer and glioblastoma multiforme. Dr. Keniry received her Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Oregon for her work on signal transduction of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae in the laboratory of Dr. George Sprague at the Institute of Molecular Biology. Her postdoctoral work, in the laboratory of Dr. Ramon Parsons at the Institute for Cancer Genetics of Columbia University, explored novel mechanisms of cancer signal transduction. Winner of the 2020 UTRGV Faculty Excellence Award in Student Mentoring, Dr. Keniry is committed to providing an encouraging, supportive environment for students to grow as researchers. As a result, student researchers from Dr. Keniry’s laboratory have progressed on to leading doctoral research programs including Texas A&M University, the University of Texas-Austin, and the University of Wyoming.

Assistant Professor
Department of Biology
Email: megan.keniry@utrgv.edu
SCI 2.304
Phone: (956) 665-7463

Dr. Robert Gilkerson

Assistant Professor
Phone: (956) 665-7838
Email: robert.gilkerson@utrgv.edu
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Dr. Robert Gilkerson

Robert Gilkerson is an associate professor in the Departments of Biology and Clinical Laboratory Sciences/HABS at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. A cell and molecular biologist, his research explores the structure/function balance of the mitochondrial network and its contributions to cellular homeostasis and metabolism. He received his Ph.D. in the laboratory of Dr. Roderick Capaldi at the Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, followed by postdoctoral training with Dr. Eric Schon in the Department of Neurology at Columbia University Medical Center. As a scientist and educator, he is committed to inquiry-based research and increasing access for UTRGV students to careers in the life and health sciences.

Assistant Professor
Department of Biology
Email: robert.gilkerson@utrgv.edu
SCI1.306A
Phone: (956) 665-7838

Dr. Zhaosheng Feng

Professor of Mathematics
Phone: (956) 665-7483
Email: zhaosheng.feng@utrgv.edu
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Dr. Zhaosheng Feng

Zhaosheng Feng, Carlos and Stephanie Manrique de Lara Endowed Chair Professor at the School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences of University of Texas-RGV, USA. He is the recipient of UTRGV Outstanding Award in Research/Scholarship/Creative Work in 2015 and 2021. His research interests lie in nonlinear analysis, computational methods and simulations, dynamical systems and mathematical biology etc.

Professor of Mathematics
School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences
Email: zhaosheng.feng@utrgv.edu
Edinburg
Phone: (956) 665-7483

Dr. Rupesh Kariyat

Assistant Professor
Phone: (956) 665-2953
Email: rupesh.kariyat@utrgv.edu
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Dr. Rupesh Kariyat

Dr. Rupesh Kariyat is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology. He received his MS from the University of Wyoming, Ph.D. from The Pennsylvania State University, and had his Post-Doctoral training at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH, Zurich). Dr. Kariyat’s research focuses on species interactions mediated by insects and plants, addressing questions on mating system evolution, ecological interactions, and their underlying molecular mechanisms. The long-term goal of Dr. Kariyat’s research program is to identify and develop sustainable pest management strategies, thereby reducing the use of harmful pesticides. Dr. Kariyat has published more than 40 peer-reviewed research articles, and since joining UTRGV, Dr. Kariyat’s research (as Principal and Co-Principal Investigator) program has received more than $3.3 million in grants including funding from agencies such as USDA-NIFA, USDA-ARS, ASPB, ConTex to name a few. Dr. Kariyat is also a recipient of the University of Texas Regents Rising Star Award, CoS Excellence in Research Award, and Teaching awards from American Society for Plant Biologists, and Entomological Society of America. Dr. Kariyat teaches undergraduate Entomology, Ecology, and graduate Plant-Microbe Interactions and Insect Ecology classes. More details about Kariyat lab, students, teaching, and outreach activities can be found at https://phenotype2017.wixsite.com/kariyatlab.

Assistant Professor
Department of Biology
Email: rupesh.kariyat@utrgv.edu

Phone: (956) 665-2953

Mentees

Dr. Erin Easton

Assistant Professor
Phone: (956) 882-5025
Email: erin.easton@utrgv.edu
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Dr. Erin Easton

Erin E. Easton is an assistant professor at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) in the School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences.  She has an B.S. in Biology from Indiana University and a M.S. and Ph. D. in Oceanography from Florida State University. After completing her doctorate in 2014, she moved to Chile to study the benthic (i.e., seafloor) communities of the oceanic islands, including Easter Island, and seamounts of the southeast Pacific. In 2017, she returned to the United States and became a Research Scientist at UTRGV, where she focused her research on the ecology and evolution of octocorals found on mesophotic reefs of the Gulf of Mexico. She became faculty in September 2020 and has begun expanding her research program to incorporate more conservation-related projects that are relevant to the Rio Grande Valley.  A primary focus of her research is to use genetic tools to explore benthic communities and to provide data to local and national governing agencies to inform decisions for the conservation and management of benthic habitats. She is passionate about providing experiential research opportunities for students, and as a Trustee of the Deep-Sea Biology Society, she contributes to the development of awards and grants to support early-career researchers. At UTRGV, she teaches undergraduate courses on marine science communication and marine biology and graduate courses on oceanography and benthic ecology. She has spent months at sea conducting research with remotely operated vehicles, submersibles, and other equipment and she has authored or co-authored over 20 publications.

Assistant Professor
School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences
Email: erin.easton@utrgv.edu
Edinburg
Phone: (956) 882-5025

Dr. Engil Pereira

Assistant Professor of Soil Ecology
Phone: (956) 665-2220
Email: engil.pereira@utrgv.edu
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Dr. Engil Pereira

Dr. Engil Pereira is an Assistant Professor of Soil Ecology at the School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences (SEEMS) and the Project Director of “Training, Research, and Education in Soil Science”, a professional development program for UTRGV students funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Dr. Pereira has a Ph.D. in Horticulture and Agronomy from the University of California Davis and a post-doc from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zürich). She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in Soil Science and Environmental Sciences. Her research investigates microbial-mediated nutrient cycling in both agricultural and natural ecosystems, aiming to identify soil management and restoration strategies that promote soil health and C sequestration.

Assistant Professor of Soil Ecology
School of Earth, Environment, and Marine Sciences
Email: engil.pereira@utrgv.edu
Edinburg
Phone: (956) 665-2220

Dr. Shizue Mito

Assistant Professor
Phone: (956) 665-8740
Email: shizue.mito@utrgv.edu
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Dr. Shizue Mito

Dr. Shizue Mito is an Assistant Professor in Chemistry. She was born in Osaka, Japan, and earned her BS and MS in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Osaka University and Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Hokkaido University and Japan. Thanks to an inspiring chemist, who happened to be her father, she came to love chemistry since she was a girl. After a postdoctoral experience at Kyoto University and Harvard University, she started her independent career at UT El Paso in 2008 and moved to UTRGV in 2015. Her research focuses on organic synthesis, in particular medicinal chemistry. Aside from research and teaching, she is a faculty advisor for American Chemical Society Student Chapter. Through the chemistry demonstration, she hopes she can inspire the younger generation in RGV as her father did to her!

Assistant Professor
Department of Chemistry
Email: shizue.mito@utrgv.edu

Phone: (956) 665-8740

Dr. Nirakar Sahoo

Assistant Professor
Phone: (956) 665-5361
Email: nirakar.sahoo@utrgv.edu
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Dr. Nirakar Sahoo

Nirakar Sahoo is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Dr. Sahoo received his Ph.D. in 2011, in Biochemistry and Physiology from Friedrich Schiller University Jena, in the laboratory of Prof. Stefan H Heinemann. Following his Ph.D., he moved to Ann Arbor in 2013 for his postdoctoral work at the Dr. Haoxing Xu Lab in the Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, studying cell physiology. He teaches undergraduate courses on Histology, Anatomy & Physiology and graduate courses on Advance Microscopy. Dr. Sahoo’s research work is focused on the study of organelle ion channels and transporters and understand their role in human and plant physiology and pathophysiology. His laboratory uses several techniques such as Electrophysiology (lysosome patch-clamp and parietal cell tubulovesicle patch-clamp), Ca2+ imaging, ROS imaging, Ion channel pharmacology, Mouse genetics and cell biology.

Assistant Professor
Department of Biology
Email: nirakar.sahoo@utrgv.edu
Edinburg
Phone: (956) 665-5361
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