Bianca R. Mothé, Ph.D.

Bianca R. Mothé serves as the interim executive director of the California State University (CSU) Program for Education and Research in Biotechnology (CSUPERB, http://www.calstate.edu/csuperb/). Mothé works closely with the CSUPERB boards (Faculty Consensus Group, Strategic Planning Council and President's Commission) to coordinate initiatives related to the life sciences across the 23 campuses of the CSU system. CSUPERB is a system-wide biotechnology community that engages over 600 faculty and students annually. CSUPERB administers seed grant, scholarship and award programs for CSU faculty and students, organizes the annual CSU biotechnology symposium, develops new research and educational program opportunities, and serves as a liaison for the CSU with life sciences industry, government, philanthropic and educational partners.

Mothé is a Professor of Biological Sciences at CSU San Marcos (CSUSM). Her research interests include the role of immunogenetics in infectious diseases for the development of vaccines against novel and chronic pathogens. More recently, her lab has also been interested in the role of innate and adaptive immune cell signaling systems in stem cell development and differentiation.  At CSUSM, Mothé is the Program Director for the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) Bridges to Stem Cell Research grant (a collaboration between CSUSM, MiraCosta College and San Diego Miramar College), as well as the statewide CIRM Bridges Conference grant.

Prior to this role at CSUPERB, she served as Director of the Middle Leadership Academy within the CSU Student Success Network. She also served as the Associate Dean for the Office of Undergraduate Studies and the Faculty Director for Service Learning at CSUSM.

Mothé received her Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Pathology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, identifying cellular immune responses against Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV), an animal model for HIV infection. She conducted her postdoctoral work at Epimmune, Inc in San Diego, CA, focusing her efforts on developing vaccines against cancer and infectious disease targets.  Mothé started her appointment at CSUSM in Fall 2003. She has been a joint faculty member at La Jolla Institute for Immunology, selected as a Fulbright Scholar in Brazil (FioCruz), and conducted sabbatical work at Thermo Fisher.

As a first-generation Latina college student herself, Mothé focuses on supporting students through improving their educational experience, especially those from underserved backgrounds. She is passionate about creating highly engaging experiences for students through research and by supporting peers and colleagues to prioritize student success.