New Faculty Appointments

We are excited to welcome four full-time faculty to the Biology & Chemistry Department. Each new member has a unique story of faith that we hope they will be able to share with students for many years to come.

DR. ERSILIA MIRABELLI — NEUROIMMUNOLOGY

Dr. Mirabelli earned her Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from Rutgers University with her research focused on neuroimmunology. Before joining the residential faculty, Dr. Mirabelli was an instructor for online graduate courses in Health Sciences. Dr. Mirabelli leads instruction in neurobiology for both undergraduate and graduate students, as well as several other courses that align with her training.

DR. MORGAN ROTH — ENTOMOLOGY

Dr. Roth has returned home — she completed her undergraduate degree here at LU before pursuing her graduate work at Virginia Tech. She completed her Ph.D. in Entomology during the spring of 2022, having focused her doctoral research on honeybees. Dr. Roth is an instructor in entomology as well as other general and organismal courses and is planning to pilot a course on beekeeping in an upcoming semester.

DR. JING XU — EMBRYOLOGY/DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY Dr. Xu received her Ph.D. from Oregon Health & Science University, where she also held a faculty position for the past several years. Dr. Xu is the instructor for graduate courses in human developmental biology and undergraduate courses in embryology, as well as several other courses in the cell and molecular areas of the department.

DR. LIANJIE XUE — PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY Dr. Xue received his Ph.D. from Texas Tech University and post-doctoral experience from Kansas State University. Dr. Xue is the instructor for Physical Chemistry I and II, as well as general and analytical chemistry courses. Dr. Xue has substantial experience with spectroscopic methods that he has integrated into both his teaching and future research efforts.