Rate My Professor Deborah Kristan

Deborah Kristan is a Professor and Assistant Department Chair in the Department of Biological Sciences at California State University, San Marcos (CSUSM), where she has served since joining as an assistant professor in 2003. She earned her M.S. from Humboldt State University in 1993 and her Ph.D. Her research focuses on physiological ecology, particularly the effects of chronic parasite infections on small rodents' abilities to respond to environmental demands such as cold exposure, lactation, and caloric restriction; the biology of aging; and the impacts of domestication on morphology and physiology. Additional research interests include animal physiology, comparative physiology, environmental physiology, ecophysiology, basal metabolism, energetics, oxygen consumption, energy metabolism, and body composition. She has authored 25 peer-reviewed publications, garnering over 1,100 citations. Notable publications include 'Chronic calorie restriction increases susceptibility of laboratory mice (Mus musculus) to a primary intestinal parasite infection' (Aging Cell, 2007) and 'Intestinal nematode infection affects host life history and offspring size in a rodent host' (Journal of Animal Ecology, 2004).

Kristan's career at CSUSM encompasses extensive teaching, research, and service. She previously served as Department Chair of Biological Sciences, Chair of the Academic Senate, Associate Dean of the College of Education, Health and Human Services (CEHHS) starting in 2018, and Interim Dean of CEHHS from July 2020 to 2021. She coordinated the Master's program in Biological Sciences for seven years and contributed to developing preparatory courses for the School of Nursing curriculum, hiring committees for nursing, human development, and kinesiology faculty, and advisory groups shaping CEHHS. Her service leadership earned her the CSU President's Outstanding Faculty Award for Service Leadership in 2016-2017. Kristan has mentored undergraduate and graduate students, including those who won statewide research competitions in Biological and Agricultural Sciences. She manages department operations from her office in SCI 1, 313C.