Janice Pluth

Janice Pluth, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Physics and Diagnostic Sciences at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where she has taught Radiation Biology in the undergraduate program since fall 2017. She earned her undergraduate degree in microbiology from the University of Minnesota, followed by a Ph.D. in microbiology and molecular genetics from the University of Vermont. Her postdoctoral training was conducted at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Stanford University.

• Active member of the Radiation Research Society
• Secretary of the Environmental Mutagenesis and Genomics Society

Pluth's research focuses on the molecular mechanisms underlying radiation-induced carcinogenesis, utilizing both 2D and 3D tissue culture models to investigate key proteins, pathways, and networks involved in the DNA damage response and how radiation disrupts these processes. Her work spans space radiation biology, mitochondrial dysfunction, and genomic instability, with specific attention to reactive oxygen species (ROS), NAD(P) metabolism, and radiation quality effects on cellular homeostasis.

Her scientific contributions include studies on ATF2 signaling, chromosome scaffold dynamics, and radiation-regimen-specific impacts on mammary gland development. She explores the interplay between space stressors, ROS, and NAD(P) pathways, while also developing advanced models for radiation-induced DNA repair kinetics and cancer risk assessment.