Rate My Professor Sulekha Anand

Dr. Sulekha Anand is a lecturer in the Biological Sciences Department at San José State University, specializing in Biology. She teaches a range of undergraduate and graduate courses, including Hypothesis Testing/Biostatistics (Biol 155), Human Physiology (Biol 66), Integrative Biology (Biol 159), Scientific Communication (Biol 100W), Vertebrate Neurophysiology (Biol 136), and Statistical Methods for Clinical Trials (SMPD 286). She earned her Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 1994 and her B.S. from Santa Clara University in 1990. After completing her doctorate, Dr. Anand pursued postdoctoral research on visuomotor physiology and visual neuroscience in the Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine and the California Institute for Medical Research. She subsequently worked as a research scientist at a biomedical company before joining San José State University in 1997. There, she served as a tenured faculty member from 1997 to 2008, took a short leave, and returned as a full-time lecturer in 2011. In addition to her teaching, she acts as a research and statistical consultant for faculty and graduate students, a biostatistical collaborator for Space Biosciences research teams at NASA-Ames Research Center, and an Associate Editor for the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Dr. Anand’s expertise spans experimental design, biostatistics, neuroscience, human physiology, scientific writing, and academic assessment. Her research has included laboratory studies on the neurophysiology of human eye movements and vision at UC Santa Cruz and SJSU, as well as primate visual-vestibular physiology at NASA-Ames Research Center. She provides consultations to faculty and external researchers on experimental design, statistical analysis, and results reporting, contributing to diverse fields. Notable publications include “The ChatGPT fact-check: exploiting the limitations of generative AI to develop evidence-based reasoning skills in college science courses” (2025, Advances in Physiology Education, with Holzmann and Payumo); “Episodic memory assessment: effects of sex and age on performance and response time during a continuous recognition task” (2024, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, with Clifford et al.); “An advanced course sequence in eukaryotic cell and molecular biology: a year-long course where active learning and peer-led groups results in higher learning gains and significant course passing scores” (2023, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education, with Soto and French); “Artificial gravity delays space-induced neurological deficits in Drosophila melanogaster” (2022, Cell Reports, with Mhatre et al.); “Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio: a biomarker to monitor the immune system of astronauts” (2020, Frontiers in Immunology, with Paul et al.); and “Risk factors and effectiveness of implemented academic interventions on student retention at a Hispanic-serving institution” (2021, Journal of College Student Retention, with Brown et al.). Dr. Anand also serves on the Assessment Committee for the Biological Sciences Department, as GE Assessment Coordinator, Faculty-in-Residence for eCampus, and statistical consultant for the College of Health and Human Sciences and University Grants Academy.