Bioinformatics and Computer Science Faculty
The philosophy of the faculty in the Department of Bioinformatics and Computer Science is to give you both the theoretical knowledge and the practical skills to be successful in your career and life. Our class size is kept small to encourage your individual learning and development. The faculty will advise and mentor you during your entire undergraduate and graduate years.
James C. Pierce, PhD
Chair, Department of Bioinformatics & Computer Science
Associate Professor of Genetics and Biotechnology
j.pierce@usp.edu | 215.596.8924
Dr. Pierce earned his PhD from Temple University. He has worked on the Human Genome Project and in the biotechnology industry and holds two U.S. patents in genetic engineering. Dr. Pierce’s research interests are mainly centered on the molecular biological properties of DNA and the applied application of this knowledge using the tools of biotechnology, bioinformatics and genetic engineering.
Bo Sun, PhD
Assistant Professor of Computer Science
b.sun@usp.edu
Dr. Sun holds a PhD from Old Dominion University.
Randy Zauhar, PhD
Associate Professor of Chemistry
Director, Graduate Program
r.zauhar@usp.edu | 215.596.8691
Dr. Zauhar earned his PhD from Pennsylvania State University. Prior to coming to USP, he was the director of computational biology at Penn State and a software developer in the biotechnology industry. Dr. Zauhar’s current research efforts are focused on the problem of designing drug molecules (inhibitors) against highly mutable targets such as HIV protease, and on the question of including the effects of solvation in estimates of drug binding energy.
Zhijun Li, PhD
Assistant Professor of Bioinformatics
z.li@usp.edu | 215.596.7539
Dr. Li holds a doctorate from Vanderbilt University. He performed his postdoctoral work at Vanderbilt and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the field of molecular modeling and proteomics. Dr. Li’s research interests include the development of new tools to aid in the quantitative description of the membrane protein 3D structures currently available in databases, and the construction of protein and protein-complex models designed to help elucidate biological mechanisms.