Cynthia M. Bauerle is an American molecular biologist and college administrator. They are currently the interim vice provost for Faculty and Curriculum at

James Madison University James Madison University (JMU, Madison, or James Madison) is a public university, public research university in Harrisonburg, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1908, the institution was renamed in 1938 in honor of the fourth president of the ...

Early life and education

Bauerle is from

Charlottesville, Virginia Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. It is the county seat, seat of government of Albemarle County, Virginia, Albemarle County, which surrounds the ...

. They completed a B.A. in biology at

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

in 1984 and a Ph.D. in molecular biology at

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

in 1990. Bauerle was a postdoctoral fellow at

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...

where they researched molecular biology. They were a

Fulbright The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States cultural exchange programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people ...

scholar at

University of Dar es Salaam The University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) (Swahili: ''Chuo Kikuu cha Dar es Salaam'') is a public university located in Ubungo District, Dar es Salaam Region, Tanzania. It was established in 1961 as an affiliate college of the University of London. ...

from 1999 to 2000.

Career

Bauerle, a molecular biologist, was a professor of biology and women's studies at

Hamline University Hamline University ( ) is a private university in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. Founded in 1854, Hamline is the oldest university in Minnesota, the first coeducational university in the state, and is one of five Associated Colleges of th ...

for 12 years before joining

Spelman College Spelman College is a Private college, private, Historically black colleges and universities, historically black, Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Atlanta, Georgia ...

where they were a professor and department chair of biology. Bauerle moved to

Howard Hughes Medical Institute The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) is an American non-profit medical research organization headquartered in Chevy Chase, Maryland with additional facilities in Ashburn, Virginia. It was founded in 1953 by Howard Hughes, an American busin ...

(HHMI) for seven years as a senior program officer and later, the assistant director of Precollege and Undergraduate Science Education. They were also the assistant director in undergraduate and graduate science education at HHMI. They managed the science education portfolio of grants, fellowships, and special initiatives. Bauerle oversaw multi-institutional initiatives to improve science education and student persistence in

STEM Stem or STEM most commonly refers to: * Plant stem, a structural axis of a vascular plant * Stem group * Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics Stem or STEM can also refer to: Language and writing * Word stem, part of a word respon ...

and coordinated the NEXUS project. On July 1, 2016, Bauerle became a professor of biology and dean of the

College of Science and Mathematics, succeeding David Brakke. Their research background is in cellular and molecular biology, with an early focus on the transport of

thylakoid Thylakoids are membrane-bound compartments inside chloroplasts and cyanobacterium, cyanobacteria. They are the site of the light-dependent reactions of photosynthesis. Thylakoids consist of a #Membrane, thylakoid membrane surrounding a #Lumen, ...

proteins and translocation of

plastocyanin Plastocyanin is a copper-containing protein that mediates electron-transfer. It is found in a variety of plants, where it participates in photosynthesis. The protein is a prototype of the blue copper proteins, a family of intensely blue-colored ...

precursors in

chloroplasts A chloroplast () is a type of membrane-bound organelle, organelle known as a plastid that conducts photosynthesis mostly in plant cell, plant and algae, algal cells. Chloroplasts have a high concentration of chlorophyll pigments which captur ...

. Some of their subsequent research focused on

ATPase ATPases (, Adenosine 5'-TriPhosphatase, adenylpyrophosphatase, ATP monophosphatase, triphosphatase, ATP hydrolase, adenosine triphosphatase) are a class of enzymes that catalyze the decomposition of ATP into ADP and a free phosphate ion or ...

and genetics in yeast.

Awards and recognition

Bauerle is a HERS Leadership Institute alumni from 2013 and was elected as an

AAAS Fellow Fellowship of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (FAAAS) is an honor accorded by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) to distinguished persons who are members of the Association. Fellows are elected ...

in 2016. They were a 2018 Partnership for Undergraduate Life Sciences Education (PULSE) ambassador and a 2019 AAAS Council Delegate for the Section on Education.

Personal life

Bauerle identifies as gender-queer. They are a parent and are in a multi-racial and same-sex relationship.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bauerle, Cynthia Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Scientists from Virginia People from Charlottesville, Virginia University of Virginia alumni University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Hamline University faculty Spelman College faculty James Madison University faculty 21st-century American biologists 21st-century American women scientists American molecular biologists American women molecular biologists LGBTQ people from Virginia American LGBTQ scientists American non-binary people American university and college faculty deans Women deans (academic) Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science 21st-century American LGBTQ people Non-binary scientists Biologists from Virginia