A webinar sponsored by the Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUI) Section
October 3, 2025
12 PM Eastern time
Are you a grad student or postdoc considering an academic career outside of a large research university? This webinar is designed for you.
Tune in for the “Your Next Chapter: A Guide to Becoming a PUI Professor” webinar, where we’ll explore what it’s like to be a faculty member at a Primarily Undergraduate Institution (PUI). The webinar will feature a panel of PUI faculty members with diverse perspectives. We’ll share our experiences balancing teaching and research, mentoring undergraduates, and securing research funding. We will also provide key tips for navigating the application and interview process.
Join us to gain the knowledge and confidence required to start your PUI faculty journey.
Panelists
Zoe Diaz-Martin
Dr. Zoe Diaz-Martin is an Assistant Professor in the Biology Department at Spelman College. She graduated with a BA from Connecticut College and earned her doctorate in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Tulane University in 2020. Her research is focused on plant conservation genomics and plant-animal interactions. She is dedicated to creating student centered learning environments in her courses and providing students with experiential learning opportunities. You can learn more about her work at https://www.zoediaz-martin.com/.
Jeremy Coate
Dr. Jeremy Coate is a faculty member at Reed College. His lab uses molecular and genomic approaches to study the functional and evolutionary consequences of gene and genome duplications in plants. Current projects utilize single cell sequencing and functional genetics to detect functional divergence between duplicated genes, and to elucidate the role of endoreduplication in plant development. To learn more about his research, check out the link at https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jeremy-Coate?ev=hdr_xprf
Sanju Sanjaya
Dr. Sanju Sanjaya earned his Ph.D. in Applied Botany from the University of Mysore, India, and pursued postdoctoral research at the Indian Institute of Science, Academia Sinica (Taiwan), and Michigan State University (USA). He is currently the Director of the Energy and Environmental Science Institute and Associate Professor at West Virginia State University. His research focuses on engineering plants and microalgae for bioenergy and phytoremediation. Dr. Sanjaya has received over $10 million from various funding agencies. He has published extensively in leading journals and holds several patents in the field of gene technology. For more information, please check this link: https://wvstateu.edu/college-of-natural-sciences-and-mathematics/author/sanjaya/
Bryan Thines
Dr. Bryan Thines is a faculty member at the University of Puget Sound. He is a member of the ASPB PUI steering committee, and served as the PUI co-chair from 2024 to 2025. Bryan participates in the Freedom Education Project Puget Sound (FEPPS), a college-level education program offering AA and BA degrees for incarcerated women in Washington State. His undergraduate research group uses molecular genetic approaches to investigate how plants adjust growth using the ubiquitin 26S proteasome system when facing adverse environmental conditions. This work is funded by the NSF and MJ Murdock Charitable Trust. Learn more about his research here: http://www.thineslab.com/
Csengele Barta
Dr. Csengele Barta is a full professor at Missouri Western State University. Her research interests include the effect of global climate change on photosynthesis and volatile compound synthesis and emission. She is a member of the ASPB PUI steering committee, and is serving as the PUI co-chair from 2025 to 2026. To learn more about Dr. Barta, please check out her CV here: https://www.missouriwestern.edu/biology/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2024/04/Curriculum-Vitae-CV-Dr-Csengele-Barta-2024.pdf
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Moderator
Dongfang Wang
Dr. Dongfang Wang is a faculty member at Spelman College where she teaches and conducts research. Her courses include Molecular Biology, Developmental Biology, and Computational Biology. In her lab, she works with undergraduate students to investigate the gene regulatory network that governs early seed development. Her work is supported by research funding from NSF, DOE, and Simons Foundation. She is a member of the ASPB PUI steering committee and served as the PUI co-chair from 2024 to 2025. To learn more about her lab, please visit https://faculty.spelman.edu/dongfangwang/.
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