Biological sciences faculty and staff highlights March 2025

Wayne State's biological sciences faculty and staff continue to make significant contributions in research, education and leadership, earning prestigious awards and securing influential appointments across disciplines. Here are some recent highlights and updates from the department.

Joy Alcedo

OTL faculty teaching highlight.

Karen Beningo

Invited to serve as faculty advisor for the Family Advocacy Network (FANs).

Edward Golenberg

Invited participant in the private symposium "Middle Miocene Climate Informs Near Future Warming" hosted by the Harvard Radcliffe Institute.

Miriam Greenberg

Appointed Distinguished Professor by the University’s Board of Governors on Friday, Sept. 13. Selective inhibitors of MLCL/CytC Peroxidase in Barth Syndrome, project #1R01HL174611-01 NIH administrative supplement equipment grant for Opentrons Flex automated liquid handling system.

Glen Hood

• Junior Faculty Research Award from the Wayne State University Academy of Scholars
• Received grant from the One Health Pilot Project Initiative to study how urban heat islands and air pollution may interact and impact urban agriculture.
• Division of Environmental Biology of the National Science Foundation grant #2418251.
• Postdoc Brendan O’Leary featured in the Detroit News for work that uses plants to screen for chemical contaminants in urban soils.
• Featured on the Entomological Society of America blog: How some insects turn plants into pollution detectors.

Hanaa Hariri

• Selected for 2024-25 Academic Leadership Academy.
• Pilot grant award from the Karmanos Cancer Institute entitled "Investigating the crosstalk between lipid metabolism and methionine dependence in cancer."
• Appointment to associate director of education in the Wayne State School of Medicine Department of Oncology.

Donna Kashian

• Launched UN-Regional Center of Expertise for Sustainable Education and Development at Wayne State and Windsor University.
• Selected by Crain’s Detroit Business editors as a notable leader in urban sustainability.
• Appointed president of the International Association for Great Lakes Research.

Dan Kashian

Board of Governors Faculty Recognition Awardees for 2024. The award honors Dan’s key contributions to the fifth edition of the landmark textbook "Forest Ecology" published in February 2023.

Pei-Chung Lee

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Teaching Award.

Karen Myhr

Promotion to Professor of Teaching Chair of the WSU Academy of Teachers for 2023-24 OTL faculty teaching highlight.

Marianna Sadagurski

• Recipient of 2024-2025 Career Development Chair Award in recognition of her outstanding productivity and student mentorship
• NIH funding for a collaborative project "Molecular mechanisms underlying metabolic reprogramming by paternal benzene exposure," project #1R56ES034765-01A1.

Mark vanBerkum

Appointment to director of neuroscience program.

Kim Hunter

Appointed to associate director of academic planning and operations.

Mary Kuligowski

Joined advising team.

Nora Alhussainy

Presented on undergraduate research in biological sciences and the neuroscience program.

Rebecca Russell

Presented "Tag – We’re Both It" at WSU Academic Advising Summit themed "It Takes a Village," partnering with a pre-med advisor about how to co-advise to support shared students.

Antoinette Cunningham

Family expansion... Welcome, Kylen!

Advisor Training Academy recognition

• Nora Alhussainy
• Rebecca Russel
• Antoinette Cunningham

As Wayne State continues to advance scientific discovery and academic leadership, these faculty and staff achievements exemplify the university’s commitment to innovation, education and community impact.