Before joining RIT, Dr. Slusarski was a professor of biology at the University of Iowa, where she served as chair of the Department of Biology from 2016 to 2021. A first-generation college graduate, she earned bachelor’s degrees in biology and biochemistry from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a Ph.D. in biochemistry, molecular biology, and cell biology from Northwestern University. She subsequently received a National Institutes of Health National Research Service Award to support her postdoctoral training at Johns Hopkins University. An accomplished developmental biologist, Dr. Slusarski has advanced understanding of cell signaling, vertebrate development, and the genetic mechanisms underlying human disease through research using zebrafish models. Her career encompasses an extensive record of peer-reviewed scholarship, externally funded research, invited presentations, professional service, and mentorship of doctoral, master’s, undergraduate, and postdoctoral scholars. Across her work as a scientist, educator, mentor, and academic leader, she remains committed to interdisciplinary collaboration and to preparing the next generation of researchers, innovators, and educators.