Rate My Professor Cheng-Chen Huang

Cheng-Chen Huang is Professor and Department Chair in the Biology Department at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. He holds a Ph.D. in Cell and Developmental Biology from Rutgers University. Joining the faculty in 2008 as an assistant professor, Huang has advanced to full professor and now leads the department. He teaches courses such as General Biology, Cell and Molecular Biology, and Developmental Biology, and in 2012 received the university's Distinguished Teaching Award for his commitment to student learning through small class sizes, active research involvement, and innovative pedagogy.

Huang's academic specializations include developmental biology, genetics, and cardiovascular biology. His research employs zebrafish embryo models to screen chemical compounds for potential treatments of heart failure, given the physiological similarities to human cardiac function. Over the years, more than 20 undergraduate students have participated in his lab, securing summer research grants and presenting findings at local and national conferences. In 2011, he led the university's inaugural science-based research, study, and ecotourism program to Taiwan, where students tested extracts from Chinese herbs and marine species using his zebrafish assays to explore natural drug candidates. Key publications encompass "Identification of Lactate as a Cardiac Protectant by Inhibiting the Drp1-Mediated Mitochondrial Fission" (2021), "A Novel Stilbene-Like Compound That Reduces Melanin Synthesis" (2018), "Zebrafish Heart Failure Models for the Evaluation of Chemical Modulators" (2013), and "Collagen IX is required for the integrity of collagen II fibrils and skeletal growth" (2009). His work bridges undergraduate education with impactful biomedical research, fostering global perspectives and hands-on discovery.