Peralta appointed director of Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program in Biology, Biomedicine, Chemistry
Dr. Ariane Peralta, assistant professor in East Carolina University’s Department of Biology, has been appointed director of the Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program in Biology, Biomedicine and Chemistry (IDPBBC) housed in the Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences. The IDPBBC previously was known as the Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program in Biological Sciences.
“Since starting my faculty position in 2014, graduate training has been a key unifying theme in my service and leadership efforts, and I find working in this area particularly meaningful and satisfying,” Peralta wrote in her letter of interest when applying for the position. “Becoming director of the IDPBBC is a natural next step. As IDPBBC undergoes a restructuring, I am committed to making the program as successful as it can be.”
Ariane Peralta (Photo by Cliff Hollis)
As director of the IDPBBC, Peralta’s duties include recruitment and admissions to the program, and oversight of institutional funding for student stipends, health insurance, tuition remissions, progress toward the degree, and professional development. She will serve as liaison to departments, Harriot College, Brody School of Medicine and the Graduate School. In addition, she will oversee the program’s admissions committee, doctoral degree steering committee and other ad-hoc committees.
“Her focus on student engagement, as well as her commitment to increasing diversity and inclusion, will serve the program well, and I look forward to welcoming Dr. Peralta into this leadership position,” said Dr. Allison S. Danell, dean of Harriot College.
“I have great enthusiasm and energy for working with and supporting different faculty and student groups representing the IDPBBC concentrations of biology, biomedicine and chemistry, and bringing them together,” Peralta said. “As director, I will build a culture of anti-racism to support a community that reflects the diversity of STEM undergraduates.”
Peralta received her doctoral degree in ecology, evolution and conservation biology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2011. Her research focuses on how land use change influences microbial community structure and function.
This summer, Peralta is participating in a new research program in microbial sciences for undergraduate minorities in science.
The National Summer Undergraduate Research Project (NSURP), launched in mid-June, is an eight-week virtual mentorship program led by researchers at the University of Arizona and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. There are more than 100 mentors in the program, and Peralta is currently mentoring three undergraduate students.
“Serving as an NSURP mentor provided a great opportunity for me to rethink how to implement an enriching virtual summer undergraduate research experience,” Peralta said. “Instead of field and lab work, we turned to data analyses, programming, professional development and science communication.”
Peralta is a member of the Ecological Society of America and the American Society for Microbiology. In 2019, she received a National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Award. In August, Peralta will advance in rank to associate professor of biology. For more information about Peralta, visit her website.