Teaching Faculty
USC Dornsife College
Biological Sciences – Human and Evolutionary Biology
Biological Sciences – Marine and Environmental Biology

Karla Heidelberg
Professor (Teaching) of Biological Sciences and Environmental Studies
Email: kheidelb@usc.eduKarla received her Ph.D. from the University of Maryland in Biological Oceanography. She has been at USC since 2006 and is a Professor of the Practice of Biology and Environmental Studies. Her expertise combines classic and molecular approaches to marine microbial and metazoan ecology. She has serves as an NSF program officer in the Office of Polar Programs and currently serves as the Director of USC Sea Grant.
Biological Sciences – Molecular and Computational Biology
Biological Sciences – Neurobiology
Quantitative and Computational Biology
Chemistry
Earth Sciences
Mathematics
Physics and Astronomy
USC Viterbi School of Engineering
Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
Biomedical Engineering

Brittany Kay
Lecturer of Biomedical Engineering
Email: bkay@usc.eduBrittany Kay graduated from USC's undergraduate Biomedical Engineering (BME) program summa cum laude in 2006, and received her M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in BME from USC in 2012. For her Ph.D., Brittany specialized in pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic modeling, which is the process of mathematically modeling how drugs are distributed through (and eliminated from) the body and how they affect the body or disease state. In 2013, she joined the USC BME faculty as a part-time lecturer, becoming a full-time lecturer in January 2014. Brittany teaches 6 classes a year at USC on varying BME-related topics with students ranging from freshman to Ph.D. candidates.
Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science

Lessa Grunenfelder
Associate Professor of Practice in Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
Email: grunenfe@usc.eduLessa Grunenfelder has a B.S. in astronautical engineering and a MS and PhD in materials science, all from USC. She teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses on material properties, processing, selection, and design. She is passionate about sharing her love of materials science with students through curriculum that combines fundamental science and engineering application.
Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
