FACULTY SPOTLIGHT A llison Saunders, Ph.D., entered undergraduate studies at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) as an undeclared science major where she explored all the possible science majors available. “I really enjoyed my math, chemistry, and biology courses, so I was drawn to biochemistry as my major as it involves all those areas,” Saunders explains. Saunders continued her studies and received her doctorate from The Pennsylvania State University where her research focused on isolating and characterizing enzymes that use iron-sulfur clusters as cofactors. After graduating, she remained at Penn State as a postdoctoral fellow. She briefly worked in the pharmaceutical industry and began her academia career teaching biochemistry at Mansfield University before joining the faculty at Lycoming College where she now teaches both chemistry courses (general chemistry) and biology courses (cell and molecular biology) in addition to biochemistry. Saunders explains that she enjoys the ability to dive into research projects that she finds interesting and to have the flexibility to start new projects. She also enjoys watching students grow through their college experience. “I typically first meet students as freshmen in my general chemistry courses and then interact with them again in their junior or senior year in my biochemistry courses,” she says. “To contribute to the change in their maturity and curiosity about science between those years is incredibly rewarding.” LOOKING FOR A Re 75 186.21 Rhenium ALLISON SAUNDERS, PH.D. ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF BIOCHEMISTRY AND CHAIR OF THE DEPARTMENT ACTION 18 LYCOMING COLLEGE 2026 FALL MAGAZINE
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