Bio
Gloria Culver, Ph.D. is a graduate of Ithaca College with a BA in Biology (minor: Art History). She earned her Ph.D. at University of Rochester in Biochemistry before going to the University of California, Santa Cruz for a post-doctoral appointment with Professor Harry Noller. Dr. Culver came to Iowa State University as an Assistant Professor in Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology. After more than 6 years at ISU, Dr. Culver returned to the University of Rochester as an Associate Professor in the Departments of Biology, of Biochemistry and Biophysics and as a member of the Center for RNA Biology. Dr. Culver served as Chair of the Department of Biology for 4 years, and is currently serving as Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences since Spring 2015. In this role, she handles matters relating to eighteen departments and twelve programs covering the areas of arts and humanities, social sciences, and natural and physical sciences. She also served on the NIH Molecular Genetics A Study Section and acted as its Chair from Fall of 2014. Currently, Dr. Culver is a Director of the RNA Society.
Dr. Culver’s research centers on the assembly of ribosomal machinery essential for growth of all cells. By focusing on bacterial ribosomes, she has contributed to understanding how infections might be controlled through selective inhibition of specific control points of ribosomal assembly. Her research has been continually funded by the NIH for more than 16 years, and the labs work has also received funding from the American Cancer Society and the NSF.