Kai (Laura) Burrus
( She/Her/Hers )At SF State Since: 1997
Specialties:
Developmental biology, cancer biology, neural tube patterning, cell signaling, generation of morphogen gradients, biochemistry of Wnt lipid modifications
External Personal Website:
Dr. Burrus' research is focused on identifying the biochemical and cellular mechanisms underlying Wnt gradient formation in chick embryos. Her work on Wnt signaling is relevant to birth defects as well as cancer and has been funded by NIH, NSF, CSUPERB, and MDA over the last 20 years. She is also actively involved with Lifting Black Voices in STEM and is leading an effort to launch an interdisciplinary Certificate in Climate Change Causes, Impacts, and Solutions. Dr. Burrus is also engaged in pedagogical innovation and is pioneering new approaches to effectively communicate research to scientific and lay communities. As one of five LGBTQIA biology faculty in the Dept of Biology at SFSU, she brings unique perspectives and recently collaborated on research published in 2015 exploring how biology faculty language used in classrooms may influence feelings of inclusivity.
Publications listed on the National Library of Medicine website.
I am a woman and a member of the LGBTQIA community. I am passionate about working with students and faculty from diverse backgrounds.
Though I was trained as a biochemist, I am now a Cell, Developmental and Molecular Biologist. In my free time, I love to be outside (hiking or biking), and I enjoy photography.