Giulia J Gurun

TEACHING AND RESEARCH INTERESTS

Interests: Equity-minded Pedagogy in STEM, Biology Undergraduate Education and Curriculum, Chromatin, Epigenetics and Human Physiology

My career in teaching began at a local community college where I began to think deeply about what our students need in order to be successful in their educational goals, and how we can support their success through our teaching practices.  I am passionate about implementing evidence-based, equity-minded practices to create more inclusive, equitable and enriching learning experiences for our students. I am honored to be a UC Teaching Professor, where my primary role is to support the university’s educational mission of excellence in teaching- from my classrooms to my department, and across campus.

I have been teaching at UCSC since 2012, and in that time I have taught lecture and lab courses in molecular biology, genetics, immunology, bioinformatics and physiology.  I regularly teach yeast molecular genetics (BIOL109L) and human physiology (BIOL130/L), and recently developed a new coronavirus bioinformatics lab (BIOL104L). My interests in scientific teaching, the growth and development of our students, and equity in STEM higher education are blended into the design of all my classes, where I am also able to share my love for both learning and biology.  In addition to active learning, all of my courses emphasize developing effective learning habits, building peer community, and advancing scientific reasoning, analysis and communication skills. I aspire to provide significant learning experiences that support student success in and beyond my classrooms. 

In the MCD Department, I am actively involved in undergraduate curriculum affairs, including curriculum development and redesign projects. I will also be working more closely with our graduate students, teaching a graduate course in STEM Pedagogy (BIOL288) to help provide them with a strong foundation and the necessary skills to succeed in their role as teaching assistants.

At UCSC, I am actively engaged with campus partners and the larger teaching and learning community to advocate for, and support, the integration of evidence-based pedagogy to help our students thrive in STEM. I am currently a steering committee member of the STEM Teaching and Learning Community, and was a former Faculty Fellow (2021-22, and 2022-23) with our campus Teaching and Learning Center (TLC) as well as a facilitator for the TLC Transforming STEM Faculty Learning Program (2019).  I am the Director of the Early Career Faculty (ECF) Program with the Center for Reimagining Leadership, which was created to catalyze leadership by diverse faculty and students at UCSC. The ECF program focuses on building community and providing professional support (e.g. in developing equity-minded teaching practices) to new faculty. 

Biology Publications

Ruben GJ, Kirkland JG, MacDonough T, et al. Nucleoporin mediated nuclear positioning and silencing of HMR. PLoS One. 2011;6(7):e21923. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0021923

Radman-Livaja M, Ruben G, Weiner A, Friedman N, Kamakaka R, Rando OJ. Dynamics of Sir3 spreading in budding yeast: secondary recruitment sites and euchromatic localization. EMBO J. 2011;30(6):1012-1026. doi:10.1038/emboj.2011.30