Tulane School of Science and Engineering

We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Esther Calzada to Tulane University! 🎉

Dr. Calzada is bringing a powerful, community-focused vision to the Department of Psychology. A clinical child psychologist with deep expertise in early childhood development, parenting, and cultural equity, her work focuses on breaking down systemic barriers and reducing disparities to support minoritized and Latinx families.

At Tulane, she plans to bridge the gap between academic research and real-world impact, partnering directly with local communities to co-create meaningful solutions.

Join us in welcoming Dr. Calzada to the Green Wave family! 🌊 Read more about her background and vision for the department here: https://sse.tulane.edu/esther-calzada-brings-community-focused-vision-tulane-psychology

The Department of Cell and Molecular Biology is delighted to welcome Dr. Lianjie Miao as a new Assistant Professor. Dr. Miao joins Tulane with an innovative research program focused on the cellular and molecular mechanisms that drive heart development, congenital heart disease, and cardiac regeneration.

Dr. Miao's research has led to important discoveries in cardiac morphogenesis, including novel mechanisms of intercellular communication and cell signaling that guide heart formation. His work has been recognized with prestigious funding from the American Heart Association, including a Second Century Early Faculty Independence Award, and has been published in leading journals such as Science, PNAS, Cell Reports, and Cardiovascular Research.

We are excited to welcome Dr. Miao to the CMB community and look forward to his contributions in research, teaching, mentorship, and collaboration across Tulane.

From New Hampshire to the Mississippi Delta, graduates of Tulane’s river-coastal program are making a difference Engineers and scientists working across the United States complete Tulane’s hybrid master’s program while managing real-world river, navigation and coastal infrastructure.

A groundbreaking new study from Tulane SSE researchers reveals that global mangrove forests are making an incredible comeback. Once one of the world's most threatened coastal ecosystems, decades of losses are now being offset by powerful natural regeneration and global conservation efforts.

From the U.S. Gulf Coast to China, these resilient forests are expanding—offering a critical nature-based defense against climate change, protecting coastlines, and storing massive amounts of carbon.

Read more about this rare conservation success story: https://news.tulane.edu/pr/global-mangrove-forests-rebound-offering-hopeful-sign-climate-and-coastal-resilience

Big news from SSE! Assistant Professor Shuaihua Gao has received an NSF CAREER Award to investigate how heat moves through proteins — research that could revolutionize enzyme design for drug production, industrial chemistry, and even breaking down "forever chemicals." Read her story: https://sse.tulane.edu/tulane-researcher-receives-nsf-career-award-unlock-physics-behind-how-proteins-work

Huge congratulations to Dr. YiPing Chen, professor of Cell and Molecular Biology, on being elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)! 🌊🎓

This prestigious national honor recognizes his more than three decades of groundbreaking research at Tulane, spanning craniofacial development, cardiac biology, and a recent breakthrough discovery in fat cell biology. Dr. Chen’s pioneering work continues to pave the way for understanding, preventing, and treating congenital birth defects.

Read more about his incredible scientific journey and future research goals: https://sse.tulane.edu/tulane-researcher-elected-fellow-american-association-advancement-science

11 million fish, preserved in alcohol, hidden completely underground near New Orleans. It sounds like sci-fi, but it’s actually Tulane University's massive, historic research collection tucked away in old WWII bunkers.

Peek inside the bunkers here:

https://wgno.com/video/where-is-the-worlds-biggest-collection-of-fish-11-million-of-them-hiding-near-new-orleans/11765575/?fbclid=IwdGRjcASKkzFleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeissv3pRVjtgTZpz65EHj1JqKlMfD9TmdhkCArQvGPfjCEpP6G7zjCfmOKF0_aem_o4wf77t6PwQ75KNzVPe4ow

Where is the world's biggest collection of fish, 11 million of them, hiding near New Orleans? Where is the world's biggest collection of fish, 11 million of them, hiding near New Orleans?

From New Orleans to Paris! 🌊✈️🗼 Big news out of Newcomb-Tulane College: a recent NTC graduate is officially heading to France after being named an inaugural Lafayette Fellow!

This brand-new, incredibly prestigious scholarship—backed by the French Embassy and Villa Albertine—selects exceptional U.S. graduates for fully-funded master’s programs at top French institutions. Alongside their studies, they will take part in an elite leadership program, meeting world-renowned thinkers, visiting key European institutions, and building lasting international ties.

We couldn't be prouder to see a Tulanian stepping onto the global stage to shape the future of transatlantic collaboration. Félicitations! 🎉🇫🇷
https://college.tulane.edu/recent-ntc-graduate-paris-bound-lafayette-fellowship

Congratulations to our Tulane University Leadership Institute (TULI) 2026 Graduates from SSE! Both Dr. Ahmad Majed from Physics and Sarah Berry from the Dean's Office were participants in the Intercultural Leadership Program (ILP). We're proud of their accomplishments and can't wait to see what they do next!