Dr. Hector E. Flores is a plant biologist specializing in the biochemistry and physiology of plant roots and storage organs and in the biology and culture of plant-people interactions. Dr. Flores was born and raised in Lima, Peru, where he obtained a B.S.in Biology from the Universidad Nacional de San Marcos, the oldest university in the Americas. Dr. Flores earned a M.S. in Horticulture from the University of Puerto Rico (Mayaguez, 1978) and a Ph.D. in Biology from Yale University (1983). During a research and academic career spanning over 25 years, Dr. Flores has served in faculty and administrative roles at Louisiana State University, Pennsylvania State University, Arkansas State University, and most recently as Dean of Science at Texas State University.

Dr. Flores is nationally and internationally recognized for his work in plant biochemistry and root biology, having published about 100 technical papers, edited five books, and received over $5 M in funding for his research from Federal agencies and private foundations. At Penn State, Dr. Flores was the principal investigator for eleven years of a graduate training grant funded by NSF/USDA/DOE, and PI for five years of an international training grant funded by the McKnight Foundation. He has trained numerous undergraduate students and been graduate advisor of 14 M.S. and Ph.D. students.

Throughout his career, Dr. Flores has made a strong commitment to Honors education, to the mentoring and recruitment of minorities in higher education, and to international collaborations. Dr. Flores has also been active in service to the Federal Government as program director at the National Science Foundation, service to various professional societies and journal editorial boards, and as a consultant to the U.S. Dept. of State. He is also recipient of an award from the Health Science Foundation of Japan. Dr. Flores is an honorary professor of Biology at the Universidad Nacional de San Marcos in Lima, Peru, his alma mater. Dr. Flores joined the Rochester Institute of Biology on September 1, 2001, as Dean of Graduate Studies.

Chance Glenn obtained his B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Maryland at College Park, and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees, also in Electrical Engineering, from the Johns Hopkins University. He was on the staff of the U.S. Army Research Laboratory for a number of years, and held several positions in industry, in addition to founding a company of his own. He joined RIT in 2003 as an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical, Computer, and Telecommunications Engineering Technology in the College of Applied Science and Technology. Currently, he is Director of the William G. McGowan Center for Telecommunications Innovation and Collaborative Research leading projects in digital signal processing, communications and radio frequency, and digital multimedia.

Widely respected as a gifted and engaging teacher, Chance has a strong record in research, having successfully obtained numerous grants, and published extensively. He is founder and editor of The Journal of Applied Science and Engineering Technology published by the RIT Press. He has also contributed his expertise to the Greater Rochester community, notably through outreach to high schools. Many in the RIT community know Chance as an accomplished musician and singer, whose contributions have added warmth and inspiration to numerous campus events. He has had music nominated for a Grammy award in 2000 and has his music available on iTunes and many other venues.

Chance brings valuable experience and insights to the Office of the Dean of Graduate Studies, as well as a deep commitment to the welfare of our graduate students. He is working together with the Dean to strengthen the education offered at the graduate level, and to enhance the research environment for all members of the graduate community at RIT.

Susan Phillips is the Administrative Assistant for the Dean’s Office of the Dean of Graduate Studies at RIT. Susan has been in this position since March, 2007 and has been with RIT since November, 2000. Prior to her career at RIT, Susan worked at Bausch & Lomb Inc. for over twenty years, mainly as the Executive Assistant for the Sr. Vice President of Human Resources. She has an A.A.S. degree in Liberal Arts from M.C.C., attended S.U.N.Y. Brockport and received her Bachelor's Degree in Multidisciplinary Studies from RIT in 2011.