Dr. Susan L. Perkins is CCNY's new Martin and Michele Cohen Dean of Science.
Dr. Susan L. Perkins, a microbiologist with expertise on protozoan parasites that cause malaria, is the new Martin and Michele Cohen Dean of Science at The City College of New York. Her appointment is effective Jan. 6, 2020.
Perkins joins City College from the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in Manhattan where she served as Curator and Professor of microbial genomics for the past 15 years.
She brings to CCNY’s Division of Science a wealth of experience as a researcher on malaria parasites and other haemosporidian parasites that use non-human hosts.
Her particular interests are the malaria parasites infecting creatures such as lizards, bats, and birds and over the past 20 years, she has conducted field work around the world to better understand their diversity, evolution, and systematics. At AMNH, her lab also investigated other parasites of wildlife and the interaction of host microbiomes with parasites.
In addition to her scientific research, Perkins is active in promoting a better understanding of microbiology via public exhibits, books, blogs and games.
She is the co-author of the book “Welcome to the Microbiome: Getting to Know the Trillions of Bacteria and Other Microbes In, On, and Around You” (Yale University Press, 2015), and in 2013 co-edited “Malaria Parasites: Comparative Genomics, Evolution and Molecular Biology” (Horizon Press).
Perkins has served as president of the American Society of Parasitologists and was a Program Officer at the National Science Foundation’s Division of Environmental Biology (2010-2011).
She earned her PhD in biology from the University of Vermont and her bachelor’s of arts from SUNY Potsdam.
About The City College of New York
Since 1847, The City College of New York has provided a high quality and affordable education to generations of New Yorkers in a wide variety of disciplines. CCNY embraces its role at the forefront of social change. It is ranked #1 by the Harvard-based Opportunity Insights out of 369 selective public colleges in the United States on the overall mobility index. This measure reflects both access and outcomes, representing the likelihood that a student at CCNY can move up two or more income quintiles In addition, the Center for World University Rankings places CCNY in the top 1.2% of universities worldwide in terms of academic excellence. More than 16,000 students pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in eight professional schools and divisions, driven by significant funded research, creativity and scholarship. CCNY is as diverse, dynamic and visionary as New York City itself. View CCNY Media Kit.
Jay Mwamba p: 212.650.7580 e:jmwamba@ccny.cuny.edu View CCNY Media Kit.