Susan Parrish

Susan Parrish is a Professor of Biology at McDaniel College, where she has dedicated her career to RNA regulation research and undergraduate education. As a first-generation college student, she pursued her B.S. in Biological Sciences at UMBC and later earned her Ph.D. in Biology at Johns Hopkins University under Nobel laureate Andrew Fire. Her research focuses on mRNA decapping enzymes in viruses and the social amoeba, as well as genomic studies of the Drosophila dot chromosome in collaboration with the Genomics Education Partnership.

Education

• Ph.D. in Biology, Johns Hopkins University (2002)
• B.S. in Biological Sciences, University of Maryland Baltimore County (1994)

Research Interests

Dr. Parrish investigates:

• mRNA decapping mechanisms in Giant Viruses and Dictyostelium discoideum
• mRNA decay pathways and chromosomal rearrangements in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
• Functional annotation of the Drosophila dot chromosome through collaborative genomics projects

Publication Trends

Her research output spans virology, genomics, and molecular biology, with recent work emphasizing collaborative undergraduate research in chromosomal evolution and bioinformatics education.

Scientific Recognition

• John Desmond Kopp Endowed Professor in Sciences (2016-2020)
• Multiple Student-Faculty Collaborative Summer Research Fund Awards
• NIH Fellows Award for Research Excellence (2006)
• Dean's Teaching Fellowship at Johns Hopkins (2001)

Mentoring & Leadership

Dr. Parrish actively mentors undergraduate researchers and serves as pre-health advisor. Her work has produced numerous student award winners at scientific conferences.