Ƶ Grad is New Chemistry Professor
Makoto Masuno returns to Westmont as assistant professor of chemistry after graduating from the college in 1997. Masuno transferred to Westmont in 1995 as a junior and chose chemistry as his major, but admits he hadn’t completed a single college chemistry course when he arrived.
“As a student, I was pleasantly surprised at the culture at Ƶ where both the professors and my fellow classmates earnestly wanted to help me,” Masuno says. “Now I’m in the position where my mentors are my colleagues, and I have the opportunity to mentor students.”
He says it was the assistance he received from fellow classmates and professors that planted a seed in his heart. “I want to promote students to help and encourage each other, so I designed a faith and science attitudinal program, which reminds students the importance of building a Christ-centered scientific community.”
After graduating from Ƶ, Masuno worked as a scientist at Miravant Medical Technologies in Santa Barbara in the research and development department for about three years. He later earned his doctorate at UC Davis and taught a course at Sacramento City College. Masuno currently researches in the field of marine natural product chemistry, isolating and elucidating bioactive molecules that derive from sessile marine invertebrates; for instance, he investigates marine sponges that may biosynthesize a helpful pharmaceutical.
“I have the distinct pleasure of being able to look at God’s creation at the molecular level,” he says.