Helen Hampikian, PhD

Dr. Helen Hampikian is a Professor of Biology in the Department of Biology, Earth, and Environmental Science at Pennsylvania Western University, Clarion campus.

Dr. Hampikian is originally from the United Kingdom where she earned her Ph.D. in Microbial Pathogenesis and Genomics and her BS degree with Honors in Microbiology. She moved to the USA in 2006 to pursue post-doctoral training at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine studying pathogenicity mechanisms in medically significant bacteria. After falling in love with teaching, Dr. Hampikian moved to Clarion in 2012 to pursue a career in undergraduate education and research. During her time at Clarion she has taught both majors and non-majors in the areas of microbiology, molecular biology, and genetics.

Dr. Hampikian has an active undergraduate research program where students are involved in a variety of projects including delineating mechanisms of pathogenicity in bacteria, screening local ticks for the bacteria that causes Lymes disease, studying potential pathogens in domestic pets, and hunting for viruses that can kill pathogenic bacteria. In addition to these projects, Dr. Hampikian has formed numerous unique research collaborations with other faculty including an extensive citizen science project with Dr. Kurt Regester, a herpetologist at Pennwest Clarion, to monitor amphibians for microbial disease using molecular biology techniques, and Dr. Chunfei Li, a physicist also at Pennwest Clarion, characterizing nanoparticles.

In her spare time Dr. Hampikian is very dedicated to fitness and enjoys Crossfit and running. She also enjoys competing in a variety of events and spending time on the trail with her off the track racehorse, Paris.