Dr. Lorena Navarro

Dr. Lorena Navarro is the CURE-E Coordinator for the CEMUR Project. She is also the Natural Sciences Coordinator and Community College Liaison for the Chico STEM Connections Collaborative (CSC²) and the Director of the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program. Along with JoAna Brooks, she co-coordinates the Student-Faculty Research Collaborative. Dr. Navarro discovered her passion for research while completing a BS in biological sciences at UC Davis. After graduation, she pursued a PhD in biology at UC San Diego. Upon completion of her postdoctoral studies at the UCSD School of Medicine, she accepted a faculty position at UC Davis in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics. Her research focus was bacterial pathogenesis and host defense. After eight years as a professor, she was interested in transitioning into a position where she could contribute to student advancement and success. She joined Chico State in January 2017. She is a strong proponent of STEM education as well as programs to encourage women and underrepresented minorities to pursue a higher education. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, cycling, hiking, running, and photography.