Brian Ellis headshot

Brian Ellis 

Biology

Associate Professor



Biography

After completing my Ph.D. studying viral delivery systems for carrying targeted gene therapy components in the lab of Matt Porteus (now at Stanford), I went on to do postdoctoral research at UC San Diego in the lab of Raffi Aroian (now at UMass Medical Center) where I worked on discovering and studying drugs that kill parasitic intestinal worms. These worms, specifically hookworm, whipworm, and Ascaris, infect about 1.5 billion people worldwide, mainly impoverished people, and keep them in a cycle of poverty. I have taught at community colleges in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and most recently taught and ran a research lab with undergraduate students at Bethel College (now called Bethel University) in Mishawaka, Indiana.

I love teaching. I love students. I love science. I love students coming to fully understand the beauty of God’s creation, all the way down to the subatomic level. I believe that these loves come from God. I am passionate about showing students that faith and science aren’t just compatible, but that they go hand in hand. I am also passionate about playing a part in aiding those infected with parasitic worms and am actively involved in research with Lipscomb students, both graduate and undergraduate, to that end. In my spare time, I enjoy playing basketball, tennis, hiking, cooking, and playing in the backyard with my family. I am thrilled to be a part of the Lipscomb community. 
Wife - Kelley Ellis
Children – Tommy, Charlie, and Noelle

Academic Degrees

B.S. – University of Denver: Molecular Biology and Biochemistry Double major, minor in medical physics

Ph.D. – University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas: cell regulation/biochemistry

Postdoc – University of California, San Diego 

Academic Department

Department of Biology