Faculty/Staff Directory

Dr. Donna Balding

Graduate School Dean

Phone: 478.471.2743
Website: https://www.mga.edu/graduate-school/index.php

Locations:
  • Macon - TEB - 314
    Phone: 4784712743
Courses: BIOL 1114 Anatomy & Physiology I
BIOL 1124 Anatomy & Physiology II
BIOL 1134 Microbiology for Health Sciences
BIOL 3540 Microbiology
BIOL 4500 Immunology
BIOL 4530 Molecular Biology
BIOL 3130 Ethical Issues in Science
BIOL 4120 Senior Seminar
Education: Ph.D. in Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA | 2000
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Microbiology & Immunology Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA | 2000–2004
B.A. in Biology, Agnes Scott College, Decatur, GA | 1992
CV: Donna Perkins Balding, Ph.D.
Dean of the Graduate School
Middle Georgia State University
(478) 471-2743 (Office)
donna.balding@mga.edu
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Professional Experience
Dean, Graduate School, Middle Georgia State University | Jan 2025 – Present
Director of the Office of Research & Sponsored Projects| 2023 - 2024
Assistant Chair, Department of Natural Sciences, Middle Georgia State University | 2014 – 2022
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Professor of Biology, Middle Georgia State University | 2017 – Present (Tenured)
Assistant/Associate Professor of Biology, Middle Georgia State University | 2004 – 2017 (Tenured)
Instructor, General Biology, Spelman College | Spring 2004
Professional Experience: Donna Balding, Ph. D. is currently serving as the Dean of the Graduate School at Middle Georgia State University. She was awarded the George W. Woodruff Fellowship to attain her Ph. D. in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics from Emory University School of Medicine for her work comparing DNA site specific recombination systems and transposition systems in pathogenic bacteria. An NIH IRACDA FIRST Postdoctoral Fellowship supported Dr. Balding's post-doctoral position at Emory University, where her work focused on the mechanisms of iron uptake and utilization in bacterial pathogens. During this post-doctoral research, Dr. Balding served as a visiting scientist at the University of Calgary, working on the purification of outer membrane receptors involved in the stripping of heme from host hemoglobin. Her areas of specialization include molecular systems, bacterial pathogenesis, protein biochemistry, and DNA recombination.
Organizations: American Society for Microbiology
Human Anatomy & Physiology Society
Publications: A. Cannizzaro, D. Perkins-Balding, E. Lazo-Wasem and T. Sawicki. Morphological and molecular analyses reveal a new species of stygobitic amphipod in the genus Crangonyx (Crustacea: Crangonyctidae) from Jackson County, Florida, with a redescription of Crangonyx floridanus and notes on its taxonomy and biogeography. J. Natural History. 53:7-8, 1-49. 2019.
A. Cannizzaro, D. Perkins-Balding, E. Lazo-Wasem and T. Sawicki. A Redescription of the Stygobitic Amphipod Crangonyx grandimanus (Amphipoda: Crangonyctidae) Including Phylogenetically Significant Sequence Data for Mitochondrial and Nuclear Genes. Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History Yale University. 59(2):109-125. 2018.
Karls, A. and D. Perkins-Balding. Antigenic variation. In the Encyclopedia of Genetics. Brenner, S. and J. Miller (eds.). Elsevier, Academic Press. Maryland Heights, MO. 2012.
Wang, Y., Y. Yuan-Yeu, D. Perkins-Balding, J. Thomson. Application of Site-Specific Recombination for Genetic Modification of Crop Plants. Plant Cell Reports. 2010.
Rasmussen, A., H. Alexander, D. Perkins-Balding, K. Yi, W. Shafer, and I. Stojiljkovic. Resistance of Neisseria meningitidis to the toxic effects of heme iron and other hydrophobic agents requires expression of ght. J. Bacteriol. 187(15):5214-5223. 2005.
Skaar,E., B. LeCuyer, A. Lenich, M. Lazio, D. Perkins-Balding, H. Seifert, A. Karls. Analysis of the Piv Recombinase-Related Gene Family of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. J. Bacteriol. 187(4):1276-1286. 2005.
Perkins-Balding, D., A. Rasmussen, and I. Stojiljkovic. Bacterial heme and hemoprotein receptors. In Iron transport in bacteria. Crosa, J, A. Mey, and S. Payne (eds.). ASM Press, Washington, D.C. 2004.
Perkins-Balding, D., M. Ratliff-Griffin, and I. Stojiljkovic. Iron transport systems in Neisseria meningitidis. Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. 68(1):154-171. 2004.
Perkins-Balding, D., M. T. Baer, and I. Stojiljkovic. Identification of important functional regions of a hemoglobin receptor from Neisseria meningitidis. Microbiol. 149(12):3423-3435. 2003.
Stojiljkovic, I., and D. Perkins-Balding. Processing of heme and heme containing proteins by bacteria. DNA Cell Biol. 21(4)281-95. 2002.


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