Rate My Professor Kyung-An Han

Kyung-An (Kay) Han, Ph.D., serves as Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and Associate Dean for Faculty Success in the College of Science at the University of Texas at El Paso. She holds the Orville Edward Egbert, M.D. Endowed Professorship in Science. Han earned a B.S. in Biochemistry from Yonsei University in 1986 and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the State University of New York at Buffalo, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, in 1992. She completed postdoctoral fellowships at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and Baylor College of Medicine under the mentorship of Dr. Ronald Davis.

Han’s research investigates the neurobiological basis of behavioral plasticity, including learning, memory, motivation, inhibitory control, and drug addiction, primarily using the Drosophila melanogaster model system to examine dopamine and other neuromodulatory signaling pathways as well as gene-environment interactions relevant to substance use disorders and neurodegenerative conditions. Prior to her appointments at UTEP, she held faculty positions at Pennsylvania State University in the departments of Biology and Biobehavioral Health. At UTEP she has directed the Master of Arts in Teaching Science program and the Neuromodulation Disorders Cluster. Her contributions include numerous peer-reviewed publications, service on NIH study sections and editorial boards such as Genes, Brain and Behavior, leadership in professional societies including the Society for Neuroscience Rio Grande Texas Chapter, and multiple awards for mentoring, research funding, and academic excellence.