Directory
Catherine Putonti, PhD
Title/s: Associate Dean of Interdisciplinary Initiatives & Academic Innovation
Office #: Cuneo 404
Phone: 773-508-3500
Email: cputonti@luc.edu
About
Dr. Catherine Putonti’s formal training and research is interdisciplinary at the core. As a MS student in Computer Science at the University of Houston, she first learned of Bioinformatics – an (at that time) emerging field applying computational and statistical methods to unraveling the mysteries of genes and genomes. Funded by a pre-doctoral grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), she completed her MS in Computer Science, PhD in Computer Science, and MS in Biology at the University of Houston.
Dr. Putonti joined Loyola’s faculty in Bioinformatics in 2007. She has held faculty positions in the Departments of Biology and Computer Science in the College and the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Stritch School of Medicine. Dr. Putonti served as the Bioinformatics Program Director from 2013-2020. She has been recognized with the College’s highest honors – the Sujack Award for Teaching Excellence and the Sujack Award for Research Excellence. She also received the LUROP award for Distinguished Mentor in 2011 and was recognized nationally with the Computing Research Association’s Undergraduate Research Faculty Mentoring Award in 2018.
Dr. Putonti is an active researcher, blending microbiology and computer science, and is currently funded through the NIH, the National Science Foundation (NSF), and private industry. She is an author of over 100 peer-reviewed publications. Undergraduate and master’s students are key to the success of the lab, and Dr. Putonti is passionate about undergraduate research training and impactful interdisciplinary learning opportunities. As a member of the Dean’s Office, she is dedicated to these passions, working with the College’s interdisciplinary programs as well as promoting opportunities for unique and engaging learning experiences for all students.
Degrees
- PhD, University of Houston
- MS, University of Houston
- MS, University of Houston
Professional & Community Affiliations
- American Society for Microbiology; International Society for Computational Biology