Purpose :: Research :: Business of Biotechnology
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Post-Doctoral Program in Business of Biotechnology
A unique program, started in 2005, that offers post-doctoral fellows the chance to work on cutting-edge research in marine biotechnology while getting their Master of Business Administration at UNCW's Cameron School of Business. Fellows are enrolled in an MBA program for working professionals that meets two evenings a week as well as one Saturday a month at UNCW.
Current Business of Biotechnology Fellows
Dr. Patrick M. Erwin joins the Business of Biotechnology program from the Department of Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he completed his Ph.D. on sponge-bacteria symbioses in the coral reef environment. Using his background in marine microbiology and genetics, Dr. Erwin is currently researching the role bacteria play in inducing settlement of reef-building coral larvae.
Dr. Sunil Kumar joins the Business of Biotechnology program from UNC Chapel Hill School of Medicine, where he did his postdoc in molecular biology. He was working on gene expression studies in mouse models for human diseases. He earned his PhD in Aquaculture, Digestive Physiology and Toxicology of fish from Aqua Research Lab, University of Delhi, India. He obtained his first postdoctoral position from Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi (CSIR) working on hormonal regulation of digestive enzymes in fish larvae. Dr. Kumar is now using his backgrounds in fish physiology, biochemistry and molecular biology of broodstock to improve the eggs quality and larval performance for higher survival of Southern flounder and black sea bass, the important mariculture species in North Carolina.
Dr. Susanna López-Legentil joins the Business of Biotechnology program from the University of Barcelona (Spain) and Perpignan (France) graduating cum laude with a Ph.D in Biological Science. She obtained a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the National Center for Scientific Research in France, and a Fulbright Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the Center for Marine Science working on genetics and gene expression in marine invertebrates. Dr. López-Legentil is now working on metagenomics as a way to obtain bioactive secondary metabolites from marine organisms.
Dr. Mary Wolf joins the Business of Biotechnology program from the Laboratory for Sensory Ecology, Bowling Green State University where she completed her Ph.D. on neural and behavioral responses to complex odor stimuli. She obtained her first postdoctoral position here at UNCW working on characterizing the role chemical signals play in motivating feeding behavior in mollusks and cnidarians. Dr. Wolf is now using her background in neurophysiology to investigate the use of brevetoxins and their derivatives for the development of pharmaceuticals to treat a myriad of neuropathic disorders.
Recent Graduates
Dr. Md. Shah Alam joined the Business of Biotechnology program from the Lab of Aquatic Animal Nutrition, Kagoshima University where he completed his Ph.D. and JSPS Postdoctoral Research Fellowship on fish and shrimp nutrition and feed technology. As a fish nutritionist, Dr. Alam completed research on development of cost-effective, environmentally sound and nutritionally balanced commercial feed for the mariculture of southern flounder and black sea bass.
Dr. Francie Coblentz is a graduate of the University of California Santa Barbara where she earned her Ph.D. in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Eye Institute in Bethesda, MD. She has validated a competitive ELISA for brevetoxin for acceptance by the AOAC and she is currently working on devising a kit for the detection of brevetoxin in water samples from the field.She recently completed her Masters in Business Administration through the Business of Biotechnology Program in May 2008.
Dr. Michael DeTure joined the Business of Biotechnology program from the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, FL, where he studied Alzheimer's Disease. As a protein chemist, Dr. DeTure's research included gathering more information about how an antitoxin originating in marine algae can be successfully used to treat cystic fibrosis.
Dr. Julie Gauthier joined the Business of Biotechnology Program from Loyola University New Orleans. She received her PhD from University of Maryland at the Center of Marine Biotechnology with postdoctoral studies at Johns Hopkins University. She worked on the identification of Perkinsus marinus disease resistance and developing real-time PCR assays for commercial application of parasite detection in oysters.
Dr. Kimberly Mayer joined the Business of Biotechnology program from Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York. Dr. Mayer was responsible for running the molecular biology arm of the group focusing on the development of marine pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals, bioengineered natural products, novel enzymes and biosynthetic pathways.
