Undergraduate Programs

Bio

Dr. Greene was appointed to the faculty as a professor of Biology in 1981. He currently holds the position of department chair (1997-present) and Co-Director of the B. Thomas Golisano Academic Center for Integrated Sciences.  He received his Ph.D. in Physiology from SUNY at Buffalo (1982), his M.S. in Biology from Niagara University (1977) and his B.S. in Biology from Niagara University (1975). He currently teaches Intro to Oncology, Pathophysiology, Microscopic Anatomy, Cell Physiology, many special topics and internship courses and mentors undergraduate student Honors and Departmental Research thesis’s. 

Current Research Interests and Projects

Dr. Greene's research scholarship has been driven by the establishment of operations for the B. Thomas Golisano Academic Center for Integrated Sciences (ACIS's). Starting in August of 2004 with the official NYSTAR Gen*NY*sis Grant award released, followed by the Spring of 2007 expenditure for startup, the $5 million center began work in DePaul Hall in the summer of 2007.  ACIS’s became fully operational in 2012 with the construction and opening of the new,         $44,000,000 state of the art B. Thomas Golisano Academic Center for Integrated Sciences building.  Designed specifically to create a research rich educational environment for undergraduate student/faculty research, the B. Thomas Golisano Academic Center for Integrated Sciences represents a singular and unique opportunity for undergraduate students to engage in substantial research projects in cancer biology, heart disease, molecular biology, microbiology, environmental and ecology research, and evolutionary genetics.

Supported by two resent major external grants from NSF for computing and The Cummings Foundation and other grants totaling $341,000, ACIS's has significantly advanced student and faculty interdisciplinary research at Niagara University. This work has also extended into the Western New York research and biomedical communities. Our research partnerships with the NY State Center of Excellence at UB, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Hauptman Woodward Research Institute, the Heart Center of Niagara, Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center and Positron Corporation are strong evidence of the success ACIS's has demonstrated in this community.

The interdisciplinary research projects that are successfully ongoing now involve multiple biology, chemistry and psychology faculty and students and, in the future, will expand to include computer science and nursing components. Dr. Greene and his colleagues have published research results with many students as co-authors on abstracts, proceedings at major professional society meetings and manuscripts in prominent scientific journals. His research work continues on photodynamic drugs like porphyrins and their induction of apoptosis in cancer cells by photoactivation. Dr. Greene’s overall objective is to determine the mechanisms of action of these agents and then design and develop more efficacious photoactive agents for cancer therapies.

Educational Background

• A. Professional Preparation Ph.D. - 1982, Physiology, SUNY at Buffalo M.S. - 1977,
• Biology, Niagara University B.S. - 1975,
• Biology, Niagara University