BIOCHEMISTRY

Biochemistry Undergraduate Contact Information

Advising Staff

Biochemistry majors receive advising services through the Biochemistry/Microbiology Undergraduate Advising Hub, which is the one-stop-shop for advising for undergraduate biochemistry and microbiology majors. It is home to four academic advisers ready to guide current and prospective Biochemistry majors and located in Room 1315 of the Hector F. DeLuca Biochemical Sciences Building at 440 Henry Mall. 

Go here to meet the Biochemistry/Microbiology Undergraduate Advising Hub advisors
 

Instructional Staff

Mario Pennella, Ph.D.
Teaching Faculty, Department of Biochemistry
Room 1142E, HF DeLuca Biochemistry Building
420 Henry Mall
Madison, WI 53706
(608) 262-9832
Email: mpennella@wisc.edu

Education
B.S., Biochemistry, University of Oklahoma
Ph.D., Biochemistry, Texas A&M University
Postdoctoral, UCLA

Courses Taught
Biochem 100: Biochemistry First-Year Seminar
Biochem 104: Molecular Mechanisms, Human Health and You
Biochem 501: Introduction to Biochemistry

Dr. Pennella grew up in the region of Oklahoma known as Green Country. After his postdoc, he became an Instructor of Biochemistry at the University of Missouri. He joined the academic staff in the Department of Biochemistry at UW-Madison in August 2017.

He co-instructs several courses within the department, which include Biochemistry 100, 104, and 501. Even though these courses have students from an eclectic mix of majors, one of his major goals when teaching any student includes providing them with a foundational knowledge of biochemistry that students can use to critically read, understand, and discuss science articles in the news and to further their own study on related topics after the course is over.
 

Erica Shu, Ph.D. 
Teaching Faculty, Department of Biochemistry
2139A HF DeLuca Biochemistry Building
420 Henry Mall
Madison, WI 53706
Phone: (608) 263-7112
Email: xshu32@wisc.edu 

Education
B.S., Human Biology, Health and Society, Cornell University
Ph.D., Molecular Nutrition, Cornell University

Courses Taught
Biochem 100: Biochemistry First-Year Seminar
Biochem 551: Biochemical Methods

Dr. Shu received both her B.S. in Human Biology, Health and Society and Ph.D. in Molecular Nutrition from Cornell University. Before joining the University of Wisconsin-Madison, she was a lecturer of Human Biochemistry (NS3200) and Macronutrient Metabolism (NS6320) at Cornell University.  At UW-Madison, she teaches and coordinates undergraduate biochemistry courses, which include Biochem 100 and 551. 

Her goal as an instructor is to create an environment that fosters biochemistry concept learning, hands-on experiences and critical thinking ability for students from all academic backgrounds. In addition to teaching the fundamentals, she also enjoys teaching the interdisciplinary aspects and the real-life applicability of biochemistry.