Faculty
Dr. Illya Tietzel studies host pathogen interactions of cervical cells or macrophages and the bacterial pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis (Alternatively Activated Macrophages Are Host Cells for Chlamydia trachomatis and Reverse Anti-chlamydial Classically Activated Macrophages.Tietzel I, Quayle AJ, Carabeo RA. Front Microbiol. 2019 May 7;10:919. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.00919. eCollection 2019. Human guanylate binding proteins potentiate the anti-chlamydia effects of interferon-gamma. Tietzel I, El-Haibi C, Carabeo RA. PLoS One. 2009 Aug 4;4(8):e6499. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0006499.). As Professor of Biology at SUNO, Dr.
Tietzel became campus representative to the Louisiana Space Consortium and he was SUNO's representative to the Scientific Advisory council of LUMCON. Dr. Tietzel strongly advocates undergraduate research and mentoring. He secured many grants (NSF, LABoR, LBRN, LaSPACE) that enabled him to conduct research and mentor budding scientists. Success stories of mentees of Dr. Tietzel include attending Harvard university (B.S.), Howard university (Doctor of Dental Surgery), and Rutgers University (Ph.D. program). Extramural and internal collaborates added research about COVID19 in cats & dogs, nanoparticles for capture & detection of microbes, C. elegans as a biodetector for radiation, manufacturing of microfluidic devices, transposons and gravity, other NASA related research, and oil spill microbes, advanced manufacturing, and robotics.
Dr. Murty S. Kambhampati (Dr. Kam) holds BSc, MSc, and PhD degrees from Andhra University, India. He worked as a Post-Doctoral Fellow, awarded by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi, India. He received his second PhD in Environmental Science from Jackson State University, Jackson, MS. Dr. Kam joined the Department of Biology as Assistant Professor and moved up in the ranks with tenure to a full Professor at Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO).
Over the years, as the PI or a Co-PI, he secured ~$10M in state and federal grants for student scholarships/stipends/faculty and student travel/outreach programs/summer internships/departmental infrastructure enhancement, etc. He mentored ~80 undergraduate biology majors and 3 doctoral students in collaboration with other institutions.
Since he joined SUNO, he is actively serving on RTP, SACSCOC, Faculty and Administrative Staff search, LABoR Master Articulation Matrix, Faculty Development, University Commencement Committees, to name a few. He has been serving as an active Member of NIS/BKX/BBB and recruited hundreds of STEM majors over the years. Several of these members were sponsored by state and federal funded grants to participate and present undergraduate research projects at local, regional, national, and international conferences. Many of his mentees won awards at the conferences for their academic excellence and quality of presentations.
Dr. Kam served as judge/moderator at various science fairs, local, regional, and national research conferences. In collaboration with his peers in the Department of Natural Sciences, Dr. Kam designed developed, and integrated new lecture and lab courses (Advances in Ecology, Environmental Biotechnology, Environmental Science Awareness, Introduction to Bioinformatics, and Introduction to Biostatistics), and enhanced the quality of STEM curricula through the LA Board of Regents, US Department of Education, and the National Science Foundation’ funded grants. Also, collaboratively with peers and administration, designed and developed BS in Forensic Science and BS in Nursing programs at SUNO.
During his tenure at SUNO, Dr. Kam received several academic and research mentoring awards including the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM) from President Barack Obama in 2015 and a Proclamation from the City Council of New Orleans recognizing his Excellence in STEM Teaching, Mentoring, and Grants at SUNO. He is/was a member of NIS/BKX/BBB, ACS, AAAS, and a sponsor for NIS/BKX/BBB Chapter at SUNO.
Research Interests: Ecology, Environmental Science, Environmental Biotechnology, Limnology, Big Data Mining and Analysis, and Toxicology.
Dr. David Sunday Adegboye returned to the department in Fall 2021 as a Professor of Biology after serving for 15 years in the Office of Academic Affairs. He joined Southern University at New Orleans as the Chair of the Department of Biology in August 1999. In March 2006, following Hurricane Katrina catastrophe, he was appointed Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs for three years and went on to serve as Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs for 12 years. He was a successful Accreditation Liaison for the university from March 2006 to March 2020. Dr Adegboye earned a Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom in 1975. He taught in two Nigerian universities rising to full professor and holding several administrative positions up to the rank of a College Dean. He has held several Postdoctoral or Visiting Professorship positions in various institutions including the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland as a Fulbright Fellow, University of London as Commonwealth Senior Academic Staff Fellow, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, Tulane University in New Orleans, LA and Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA. His research expertise is on immunopathogenicity of infectious agents, especially those causing respiratory infections. Dr Adegboye has extensive grant management experience which includes: (1)Several Louisiana Board of Regents undergraduate enhancement grants; (2) HBCU-MI Department of Defense Grant; (3) SUNO Campus Project Director of the NIH-Louisiana Biomedical Research Network (LBRN) grant; (4) PD/PI of a $1.265 million grant award by the US Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA) to study the genome of the smallest living organism known, Mycoplasma genitalium, an agent of non-gonococcal urethritis; (5) PI of a $500,000 CDBG grant to renovate the SUNO University library post-Katrina hurricane. Dr Adegboye is the Co-PI of a $600,000 Health Disparity Grant awarded to the University to study impact of COVID-19 on racial groups in New Orleans. He is mentoring a Biology major on the grant and, with the student, plans to investigate immune evasive mechanisms of an animal respiratory pathogen which could mimic COVID-19.
Dr. Lisa Mims-Devezin returned to the Department of Natural Sciences in Fall 2020 as a Professor of Biology after serving for four (4) years as the Chancellor and Interim Chancellor and ten (10) years as the Associate Dean and the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. She holds a BS Degree in Biology from her beloved Alma Mater Southern University at New Orleans, where she was also the first alumna to serve as Chancellor. Additionally, she holds an MS in Biology/Microbiology and Ph.D. in Science and Math Education from Southern University A&M College. She joined Southern University at New Orleans (her alma mater) as an instructor of Biology and through hard work, dedication, and commitment, rose through the ranks. Dr. Mims-Devezin has held Postdoctoral or Visiting Professorship positions in various institutions including the University of North Texas, Denton, TX, the University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, and Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA. Her research interests are on bacterial infections of the skin, and infectious agents, especially those causing respiratory infections. She is presently working with a mentee on COVID-19 and secondary infections. Dr. Mims-Devezin has broad grant and funding procurement and management experience which includes: (1) Several Louisiana Board of Regents undergraduate enhancement grants; (2) securing $44,000,000 Hurricane Katrina related Loan Forgiveness for Southern University at New Orleans.; (3) working with the Southern University System to secure a total of $6 million dollars for Southern University at New Orleans for accreditation efforts; (4) As a Co-PI, worked with the Southern University System and LED/ DXC Technology to bring approximately $3 million dollars in grant funding to the Southern University System and Southern University at New Orleans; (5) working with the State of Louisiana and FEMA to secure an additional approximately $3 million dollars to complete the buildout of the New Natural Sciences Building and the Museum and the Auditorium flooring in the new Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Building. (5) Co-PI of a $500,000 CDBG grant to renovate the SUNO University library post-Katrina hurricane. Dr Mims-Devezin is also one of the Co-PI’s of a $600,000 Health Disparity Grant awarded to the University to study impact of COVID-19 on racial groups in New Orleans. Further, Dr. Mims-Devezin is a faculty participant with the School of Social Work as part of the All of Us Researcher Academy Institutional Champions funded through the National Institute of Health (NIH) serving as a researcher and mentor analyzing such factors as COVID-19 and Health Disparities and the social determinants of health. She has developed and implemented online biology courses and open educational resource courses. She is a member of several organizations such as Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the American Society for Microbiology, National Association for Research in Science Teaching, Beta Kappa Chi Scientific Honor Society, Beta Beta Beta Biological Honor Society, etc. In addition to the above-mentioned activities, Dr. Mims-Devezin, in collaboration with colleagues, has written and defended the implantation of programs at Southern University at New Orleans such as the Health Information Managements Systems Program, worked with the LA Board of Regents for more than twenty years on state articulation, College Readiness endeavors, etc., and she has received numerous awards such as the Thurgood Marshall Distinguished Faculty Award, 100 Black Men of Metro New Orleans Excellence in Education Award, the Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., Exemplary Community Service Award, and the John Thompson Leadership of Change Award. Dr. Mims-Devezin has served and continues to serve on numerous committees to enhance and advance the standing and upward mobility of Southern University at New Orleans such as the Retention, Tenure, and Promotion Committee, Search committees, SACSCOC committees, and a host of others. Dr. Mims-Devezin Finally, Dr. Mims-Devezin has served and continues to serve as a mentor to faculty and students. She has encouraged and assisted many students such as Elizabeth Oyekan, M.D., Rayon Golding, M.D., Samuel Okpechi, Ph.D., Cierra Rousseu, M.S., Aurelia Whitmore, Ph.D., etc., with their educational pursuit and the attainment of Professional and terminal degrees.
Dr. Christian Clement, Ph.D., MPhil.
Professor of Microbiology/Immunology and Chair Dept. of Natural Sciences
Email: cclement@suno.edu
Phone: 504 286-5406
Office: Natural Sciences Building - Room 365
