New Faculty in 2024-2025
CNSM is proud to welcome the following 6 new faculty members to our college.
Biological Sciences
Marcell Cadney
Dr. Cadney is from Rialto, CA and is a CSULB alum, studying evolutionary biology in Dr. Ashley Carter’s laboratory. His research, beginning in graduate school at UC Riverside and continuing through his postdoctoral work at UC Santa Barbara, examines models for experimental evolution and exercise physiology. That work will continue here with students at The Beach, studying various aspects of motivation and ability for physical activity in mammals, as well as exploring the epigenome of the exercise phenotype in High Runner mice.
One thing you may not know about him is that he has a twin brother! No word on if they’ve attempted to switch places yet.
Jennifer Johnston
Dr. Jennifer Johnston is a first-generation college graduate from Southern Illinois University, where she received her BS and MS in genetic engineering. She then pursued a Ph.D. in molecular systems pharmacology at Emory University. Her dissertation focused on the use of DNA as a pharmaceutical and resulted in a lentiviral vector that is currently utilized in a clinical gene therapy trial for Hemophilia A in India. Dr. Johnston then completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford, further exploring the field of gene editing before joining us from SJSU. Here she will continue to perform research using the CRISPR/Cas 9 gene editing technology to develop protocols that can provide a cure for genetic blood disorders.
Fun fact: Dr. Johnston is an Illinois State Dance champion!
Bree Putman
Dr. Bree Putman is a Southern California native and a product of the Cal State system, attending Cal Poly SLO for her undergraduate degree and SDSU for her Ph.D. in Ecology (joint with UC Davis). She lectured at Cal State Long Beach from 2018-2019 and is relocating from Cal State San Bernardino to CSU Long Beach. A Herpetologist and rattlesnake expert, her research examines animal responses to human-induced habitat changes - notably urbanization, invasive species introductions, and human-caused wildfires.
Outside of snakes and lizards, she loves hiking, biking, and watching classic films.
Dr. Putnam will be joining the department in Spring term.
Chemistry and Biochemistry
Sharmila Venugopal
Before joining CSULB, Dr. Sharmila Vengupal was an Associate Adjunct Professor of Neurology at University of California Los Angeles. After receiving a Bachelor's degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Bangalore University in 1999, she went on to earn a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering from the Ohio State University in 2004, and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the same institution in 2008. Following that, she worked as a postdoctoral researcher at ASU, the University of Arizona, and UCLA. Since 2015, she has held Adjunct Assistant Professor positions in the Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, and later at Department of Neurology at UCLA Medical School. Her research in neuroscience aims to advance our understanding of the computational principles of brain functions by integrating multidisciplinary approaches (including neurophysiology, imaging and image processing, molecular biology, mathematical modeling and data science) to examine the mechanisms of neural susceptibility in chronic neurodegenerative diseases.
She loves traveling, eating spicy food, and mentoring students and colleagues.
Mathematics and Statistics
Pavneet Kaur Bharaj
Originally from Punjab, Dr. Pavneet Kaur Bharaj moved to the United States in 2016, where she completed her PhD in Curriculum and Instruction from Indiana University, Bloomington. From there Dr. Bharaj joined the University of Massachusetts, Boston as a Postdoctoral Researcher, before becoming an Assistant Professor at CSU Bakersfield. Dr. Bharaj's goal is to improve teacher education by bridging the gap between research and practice. By exploring teachers' cognitive, psychological and contextual factors, her work focuses on promoting high-quality math instruction holistically. She also has experience as a middle and high school teacher and is stepping in immediately to support the Math Ed sequence for Liberal Studies majors getting their multiple subject credential.
Dr. Bharaj is also mom to a 19-month old and loves to explore coffee shops, eateries, and anywhere baby-friendly!
Science Education
Sam Lee
Dr. Sam Lee joins us from the East Coast, hailing from Queens and teaching secondary science in Brooklyn. After receiving a BA in Secondary Education and Biology from Boston College, and an MS in Education in Adolescent Literacy from Fordham University, Dr. Lee completed their PhD at Boston College. Their research focuses on the design of learning environments (i.e., professional learning, curriculum, etc.) where educators position racialized bi/multilingual students’ multiple ways of communication as a part of rather than apart from science learning. Specifically, they are curious about the ways in which language can be used to expand how we "figure out" the natural and designed world. Dr. Lee has also worked extensively with middle school science teachers, facilitating and researching the implementation of professional learning materials based on the OpenSciEd curriculum.
In their free time, Sam loves playing volleyball and supporting local drag queens.
