Position
Academic Background  
Sample Courses  
Teaching Philosophy   
Research & Interests   
Notable Academic Appointments & Awards
Publication Highlights  
Selected Scholarly Presentations

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Position            

• Assistant Professor of Biology
• Adjunct Instructor of Theology 

Academic Background         

• Dominican House of Studies, Washington, DC 
  • Licentiate in Sacred Theology (S.T.L.) in Moral Theology, summa cum laude, 2005
  • Master of Divinity, 2003
  • Bachelor in Sacred Theology (S.T.B.), summa cum laude, May 2003
• Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research/University College London, London, UK - Fellow of the International Human Frontier Science Program, 1996-1997
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA - Ph.D. in Biology, Fellow of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, June 1996
• University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA  - B.S. in Engineering (Bioengineering), summa cum laude, 1989

Sample Courses Taught at Providence College   

• General Biology I
•  Modern Genetics
•  Advanced Topics Seminar in the Biology of Cancer
•  Contemporary Moral Questions
•  Honors Colloquium: Science and Religion

Teaching Philosophy            

As a molecular biologist, a Dominican friar, and most of all, a priest of Jesus Christ, I am committed to the pursuit of truth and the One who called Himself the Truth.  This search for truth - a truth worth dying for - is an adventure of ultimate discovery.  Thus, in the classroom, I seek to introduce my students to the passion of the intellectual life.  I want them to discover that life-long study in general and the pursuit of wisdom in particular can bring much joy and satisfaction.  Moreover, I want them to learn that the pursuit of truth cannot be separated from the pursuit of virtue.  One cannot really know the truth unless one is willing to live it out.  In the end, the pursuit of truth is a response to the challenge of the Gospel to become disciples who are committed to serving the nation, the Church, and the world. 

Research & Interests               

Cellular aging and apoptosis are two cellular processes that have been implicated in human disease. For instance, it is now clear that both are potent anti-cancer mechanisms. Cells that either escape senescence or bypass apoptosis in response to oncogenic stimuli can undergo malignant transformation. Some have even called the ability to evade programmed cell death a "hallmark of cancer."  Significantly, there is good evidence that senescence and apoptosis contribute to the anti-tumor activity of many chemotherapeutic drugs and that mutations that disable apoptosis can result in multi-drug resistance.

The budding yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, has served as a useful model for complex physiological processes of metazoan cells including aging and apoptotic cell death. Molecular mechanisms of both these processes appear to be conserved and genetic determinants have been identified in yeast with orthologues in higher organisms.   In my laboratory, we are taking advantage of different genetic strategies to identify molecular links between these two processes in yeast.  Our research program exploits the primary advantage of the yeast system over its mammalian counterpart as a model system for aging - simply, yeast cells are easier to work with because they age and reach senescence within a matter of weeks.  Mammalian cells, on the other hand, take months to undergo senescence, while mammalian organisms take years, if not decades, to age. 

Notable Academic Appointments and Awards

• Scientific Advisor to the National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly, 2001-Present
• Consultant, Committee on Science and Human Values, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2005-2007
• International Human Frontier Science Program Long Term Fellowship, 1996-1997
• Howard Hughes Medical Institute Pre-doctoral Fellowship in the Biomedical Sciences, 1990-1995
• Tau Beta Pi, The National Engineering Honor Society
• Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society

Publication Highlights

• Austriaco, N.P.G., O.P. An Introduction to Catholic Bioethics (Washington, DC: The Catholic University of America Press, in preparation.)     
• Austriaco, N.P.G., O.P. Understanding Stem Cell Research: Controversy and Promise (New Haven, CT: Knights of Columbus, 2008).  
• Austriaco, N.P.G., O.P. (2004) "Immediate Hominization from the Systems Perspective," National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly, 4(4): 719-738.
• Austriaco, N.P.G., O.P. (2003) "In Defense of Double Agency in Evolution: A Response to Five Modern Critics," Angelicum 80: 947-966. 
• Austriaco, N.P.G., O.P. (2003) "Is the Brain Dead Patient Really Dead?" Studia Moralia 41(2): 277-308.
• Austriaco, N.P.G. O.P. (2002). "On Static Eggs and Dynamic Embryos: A Systems Perspective" National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly 2(4): 659-683.
• Austriaco, N.R., Jr.  and L. Guarente. (1997) "Changes of telomere length cause reciprocal changes in the lifespan of mother cells in Saccharomyces cerevisiae,"  Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 94: 9768-9772.
• Kennedy, B.K., Austriaco, N.R., Jr., Zhang J., and L. Guarente. (1995).  "Mutation in the Silencing Gene SIR4 Can Delay Aging in S. cerevisiae" Cell 80: 485-496

Selected Scholarly Presentations and Activities

• Conference: Social Trends Institute Experts Meeting: "Focus on the Embryo," Barcelona, Spain, January 23-25, 2009.
• Westchester Institute Forum: "On Defining Totipotency," Washington, DC, May 16-18, 2007.
• Conference: "Global State of Stem Cells and Cloning in Science, Ethics, and Law," Rome, Italy, March 7-8, 2005.
• Westchester Institute Forum:  "The Morality of Heterologous Embryo Transfer," Washington, DC, October 28-29, 2004
• Symposium: "Stem Cells: Science, Ethics and Politics at the Crossroads," The Science Network/Salk Institute for Biological Studies, San Diego, CA, October 2, 2004.
• Conference: "Is It Possible to Say When Human Life Begins?" Center for Ethics in Science and Technology, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, July 14, 2004.
   

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