Dr. Susan Perkins is the Martin and Michele Cohen Dean of Science at The City College of New York, the founding campus of the City University of New York and a proud minority-serving institution. A first-generation college graduate from northern New York, Dr. Perkins earned her Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Vermont in 2000. Prior to joining CCNY in January 2020, she held faculty and curatorial roles at the University of Colorado, Boulder and the American Museum of Natural History.
Her research expertise lies in parasitic diseases and microbiome dynamics in wild animal hosts, with a particular focus on malaria parasites found in lizards, bats, birds, and other species. As Dean, she oversees the Division of Science, which includes the departments of Biology, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Mathematics, and Physics. The Division has a rich legacy of scientific excellence and is the alma mater of ten Nobel laureates. Outside of academia, Dr. Perkins is an avid board gamer and enjoys biking, kayaking, and hiking.