Tawana M. Robinson, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas. She is a biochemist working in gene therapy and translational biomedical science, with a focus on developing novel therapeutic strategies for cancer, neurological, and cardiovascular diseases. At UST, she teaches Organic Chemistry I as well as General and Advanced Biochemistry courses, while building a research-integrated curriculum that connects fundamental biochemical principles to modern biomedical applications, particularly in gene therapy. She studied biological chemistry at the University of Rochester (M.S.) before pursuing doctoral studies at Rice University (Ph.D., Chemistry with an emphasis in Bioengineering). She subsequently completed postdoctoral training at Baylor College of Medicine and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, where her research centered on gene therapy vector development, RNA therapeutics, and cellular immunotherapy. Her research contributions have been published in peer-reviewed journals including ACS Synthetic Biology, ACS Biotechnology & Bioengineering, Virology, and ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering. Her work has been supported by NIH F31 and T32 fellowships, as well as an American Heart Association Predoctoral Fellowship. In addition to her research and teaching, Dr. Robinson is actively engaged in departmental and university service, including admissions and faculty hiring committees as well as faculty development initiatives within the Natural Sciences and Mathematics division, with a continued commitment to mentoring undergraduate students.