Rate My Professor Alexander Payumo

Dr. Alexander Payumo is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at San José State University, where he has been a faculty member since Fall 2020. A Bay Area native and first-generation Filipino-American, he earned his B.S. in Chemistry with an emphasis in Biochemistry from San José State University between 2001 and 2008, conducting undergraduate research under Dr. Daryl K. Eggers. Payumo then obtained his Ph.D. in Chemical and Systems Biology from Stanford University from 2008 to 2016 in the laboratory of Dr. James K. Chen. Following his doctoral studies, he completed postdoctoral training at the Cardiovascular Research Institute at the University of California, San Francisco from 2016 to 2020 under Dr. Guo N. Huang. Committed to increasing diversity in the sciences, Dr. Payumo is dedicated to mentoring students and helping them discover their potential as scientists.

The research in the Payumo Lab focuses on the hormonal regulation of mammalian heart muscle cell proliferation and regeneration. Heart disease is a leading cause of death due to the limited ability of adult human cardiomyocytes to regenerate after injury. In contrast, newborn rodents transiently retain regenerative capacity through cardiomyocyte proliferation, which is lost shortly after birth as cells exit the cell cycle. Dr. Payumo's group investigates molecular and cellular mechanisms downstream of thyroid hormone and adrenergic signaling that control cardiomyocyte cell cycle dynamics. They have shown that inhibiting thyroid hormone signaling in early postnatal mice promotes cardiomyocyte proliferation and regeneration, with enhanced effects from combined adrenergic blockade. This work employs advanced techniques such as digital holographic imaging to monitor real-time cellular responses. Key publications include "Two decades of heart regeneration research: cardiomyocyte proliferation and beyond" (Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Systems Biology and Medicine, 2024), "Thyroid hormone-dependent regulation of metabolism and heart regeneration" (Journal of Endocrinology, 2022), "Application of digital holographic imaging to monitor real-time size and motility dynamics of cardiac cells in response to norepinephrine stimulation" (Cytometry Part A, 2024), "Quantitative label-free digital holographic imaging of cardiomyocyte contractility changes during adrenergic stimulation" (Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology, 2024), "The ChatGPT Fact-Check: exploiting the limitations of generative AI for teaching critical thinking in large undergraduate biology courses" (Advances in Physiology Education, 2025), and "AI-Assisted Qualitative Analysis of Formative Feedback To Support Instructor Development in Large Enrollment Biology Courses" (2025). Dr. Payumo participates in stem cell internships and HSI-STEM initiatives at SJSU.