Rate My Professor Maria Santisteban

Dr. Maria Santisteban is a Professor of Biology at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, where she joined the faculty in 2007. She holds a B.S. from the University of Basque Country, a D.E.A. from Université Joseph Fourier, and a Ph.D. from Université Joseph Fourier. Her research focuses on yeast molecular genetics and epigenetic regulation of eukaryotic gene expression, particularly the role of the histone H2A variant H2A.Z/F, encoded by the HTZ1 gene, in promoting transcription by RNA polymerase II during elongation in budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Employing techniques such as mutational analysis, genetic screens, chromatin immunoprecipitation, microarray analysis, and real-time PCR, her work elucidates chromatin-regulated gene activation mechanisms.

In addition to her research, Dr. Santisteban excels in undergraduate education and mentorship within the Biology department. As director of the NSF-funded COMPASS program, she mentors underrepresented students in STEM, offering scholarships, workshops, research projects, and conference opportunities to enhance their path to graduate and professional programs. She received the 2022 Undergraduate Research Mentor Award from the Pembroke Undergraduate Research and Creativity Council. Dr. Santisteban pioneers course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs), integrating tools like CRISPR-Cas9 into curricula. Key publications include "CRISPR-Cas9 in the Undergraduate Lab: A Short Implementation," "Using Genome Annotation Projects to Teach Eukaryotic Gene Structure," and "S-STEM Scholarship Program at UNC Pembroke: a COMPASS for Science Majors" (2017). Recent works cover genomics CUREs, student attitudes in research education, and enzymology of parasitoid wasp venom proteins like pyruvate kinase and GAPDH from Ganaspis hookeri. With 35 publications and 868 citations, she significantly impacts biology pedagogy and STEM diversity.