Dr. Cassie Nelson is an assistant teaching professor in the Division of Life Sciences and in the Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience at Rutgers University. Dr. Nelson received her undergraduate degree from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in physiological sciences. She went on to earn a master’s degree in Cellular and Integrative Physiology from the Indiana University School of Medicine and received her Ph.D. in Biology from Marquette University, where her dissertation explored the cellular mechanisms of skeletal muscle fatigue.
Since graduating with her PhD in 2014, Nelson has worked at 3 universities and taught all kinds of courses, ranging from introductory biology to comparative vertebrate anatomy. At Rutgers, Nelson teaches Systems Physiology to over 800 students per academic year. In addition to teaching, Nelson mentors learning assistants, guides undergraduate students through their senior research theses, and serves on several committees. Nelson recently received financial support for an interdisciplinary research fellowship, where she will work with 3 undergraduate students to explore the relationship between microplastics and human cells and tissues.
As a teaching professor, Nelson loves the Rutgers student body and feels truly privileged to spend her time as a faculty member focused on student education and growth. Outside of teaching and mentoring undergraduate students, Dr. Nelson is a wife and mom of 3 kids, and enjoys running, strength training, listening to podcasts, baking, and coaching her kids’ sports teams. Nelson is a former division 1 track and field and cross-country athlete and loves to talk about all things running related.