Faculty
Director: C. Cheng Kao, Ph.D., Professor, Molecular & Cellular Biochemistry
Phone: (812) 855-7959
Email: ckao@indiana.edu
Dr. Cheng Kao received his B.S. from the University of Michigan (‘84) and his Ph.D. in Microbiology from Michigan State University (’88). He was an American Cancer Society postdoctoral fellow at UCLA and a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Kao joined the Indiana University faculty in 1993. He was an Outstanding Junior Faculty, a Jack Gill Fellow and a visiting scientist at GlaxoSmithKline, Centocor Inc., Peking University Health Science Center, and UC Berkeley.
Dr. Kao’s research is on the replication of RNA viruses, including the Hepatitis C virus, the human norovirus and several plant viruses. His lab also studies the innate immune receptors that recognize RNA viruses. An fulfilling aspect of his research is that he could work with scientists from both academia and pharmaceutical companies on basic and applied research directions. Dr. Kao has taught a number of undergraduate and graduate courses, including Honors Molecular Biology, the Mechanisms of the AIDs Virus Infection, Integrated Biochemistry, Molecular Genetics, and Grant Writing.Read more about Dr. Kao.
Assistant Director, Undergraduate Program:
Nancy G. Magill, Ph.D., Senior Lecturer
Phone: (812) 856-5978
Email: ngmagill@indiana.edu
Dr. Magill received a B.S. from Allegheny College and her M.S. ('82) and Ph.D. ('88) in Microbiology from Cornell University. She was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Connecticut Health Center (1988-95). Dr. Magill has taught at a number of colleges and universities. She has also worked at Rhode Island Hospital and at a US EPA – GLP lab. Her research interests have included sporulation of Bacillus sp. and antibiotic resistance. he undergraduate courses she teaches include:
- T315 Biotechnology Laboratory
- T322 Biotechnology Writing and Communication
- T301 Seminars in Biotechnology
Assistant Director, Graduate Program:
Email: mmparrot@indiana.edu
Dr. Dunn received her B.A. from Hanover College and Ph.D. in Microbiology from Indiana University (11). Before joining the biotechnology program, she was an instructor for the biology department at Franklin College teaching courses in microbiology, cell biology, and general biology. Her research interests include understanding the mechanisms of enveloped virus assembly and release.
Instructor: Karen Bush, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor, Lecturer
Phone: (812) 855-1542
Email: karbush@indiana.edu
Dr. Bush received a B.A. from Monmouth College (IL) and her Ph.D. in Biochemistry (1970) from Indiana University. She was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and an Instructor at the University of North Carolina before joining the pharmaceutical industry. She worked in antibiotic drug discovery and development at The Squibb Institute for Medical Research, Lederle Laboratories (Wyeth) and Johnson and Johnson for a total of 35 years. Her research interests include antibiotic resistance mechanisms in Gram-negative pathogens, especially focusing on beta-lactamases.
Instructor: Jeff Ankrom, J.D., Adjunct Lecturer
Phone: (812) 339-1109
Email: jankrom@indiana.edu
An instructor on societal issues of biotechnology, Mr. Ankrom brings a
broad preparation in humanities and social sciences. He received a
B.A. from Ball State University in French (1978); an M.A. from
Northwestern University, also in French (1983); and a J.D. from what is
now the Maurer School of Law, Indiana University, Bloomington (2004).
His professional activities have included teaching languages and
literature, several years in scholarly publishing, and private law
practice since 2004—with a focus on publishing law, the work of
creative people, and civil rights in the workplace. His varied
research interests include legal issues facing literary translators and
societal issues in biotechnology.
