Michael J. Rossi, Ph.D.

Michael J. Rossi Headshot
Professor
Associate Dean for Faculty and Curriculum

College of Arts and Sciences
Education

B.S., Biology, Xavier University, 1983

Ph.D., Biology, University of Kentucky, 1990

Post-doctoral training, University of Florida, College of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Teaching interests

I primarily teach in the M.S. Cellular and Molecular Biology program that I created for the University in 1995. My favorite courses are Cell Culture Techniques with Laboratory, Cellular Biology and Protein Biochemistry and Enzymology, although I have taught nearly all of the core courses in the program at one time or another.

When I teach undergraduate courses, my favorite classes are Cell Biology, Developmental Biology and Histology. These are classes that all emphasize the actions of individual cells in the maintenance of the entire organism. Fully understanding each of these topics is very important in understanding current pharmaceutical and medical advancements.

In the lectures, I stress problem solving and the ability to apply the material that students learn in the course. I feel this is critical to being a strong scientist and while this is tough for students at first, it makes our students very strong when they complete the program. In the classes with laboratories, I go beyond this to also insist that student become technically proficient in basic skill related to the lab. For example, by the end of the Cell Culture course and the Cell Biology Laboratory, our students are very strong at mammalian cell culture techniques and trouble shooting. This has been very helpful to them as they have developed after our program.

Research

Bibliography

My work over the years has covered many topics from muscle development to cancers. Most of my work has involved fertility and cancers. A listing of recent papers and conference proceedings with students can be found here. A more complete listing of my bibliography is available at the NCBI link.

Recent student projects I have directed are listed in our Cellular and Molecular Biology pages. Many of these have links to posters completed by the students. You can find them at Rossi Lab Student Research.

In the Media

In the Media

New Haven Register: Yale, UNH prison education partnership 'transformative,' inmates and professors say

Patrick Gourley, associate professor of economics and business analytics; Michael Rossi, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences; and Zelda Roland, Prison Project Director, commented on the success of the University of New Haven’s and Yale University’s Prison Education program and its impact on incarcerated students and the professors who are teaching in the program.