Zahra Tehrani

HONR 59901 Mentoring Future Researchers

HONR 499 Protein Design with Foldit

HONR 19901 Genes

HONR 19902 Eugenics

I received my B.S. and Ph.D. in Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). After completing a postdoctoral teaching fellowship at UCLA, I was a lecturer at various community colleges and universities in the Los Angeles area. In 2015, I joined the faculty of the Purdue Honors College where I teach interdisciplinary project-based courses in biology and genetics. Inside my classroom, students explore the science and ethics of biotechnology. Courses I teach include:

Outside of the classroom, I am passionate about enriching the undergraduate research experience for students. As the Director of both the Research Mentorship Development Program and the Undergraduate Research Fellowship in the Honors College, I provide: 1) Training to graduate students from across the university in the effective mentoring of undergraduate researchers; 2) Connect Honors College students to on-campus research opportunities; 3) Organize professional development workshops and community of practice meetings to support undergraduates across different stages of their research journey.

I am currently working on three research projects:

• Evaluating the online game Foldit as a course-based research experience for undergraduate students
• Assessing and improving mentorship for undergraduate researchers
• Assessing and improving student competence in using interdisciplinary methodologies/approaches to examine the science and ethics of biotechnology