Department of Statistics
PO Box 1892 Rice University 
Houston, TX 77251-1892
Office: (713)348-3891   FAX: (713)348-5476 email: siefert@rice.edu

Education 
1997- Ph.D.           University of Houston, Biology  
1975 - B.S.             University of Central Arkansas, General Science

Professional Positions                     
2012 - to present           Adjunct Associate Professor, U. of Houston
2009 – to present          Senior Faculty Fellow, Rice University
2002-2009                     Faculty Fellow, Rice University
2000-2002                     NSF Postdoctoral Fellow Rice University w/M Kimmel
1998-2000                     Keck Postdoctoral Fellow w/M Kimmel

Selected Honors 
2009 NAI’s Director Discretionary Award
2007 Rice President’s International Travel Fund Award
2004 NAI’s Discretionary Research Award           
2004 NASA Education and Public Outreach Grant, $15K, Astrobiology course in spring at Rice
1999 ISSOL '99 Travel Grant Award Recipient
1998 PostDoctoral Travel Award, Keystone Symposia, A2 Conference.
1998 NASA/LPI/USRA Scientist-Teacher Cooperation Grant
1996, 97 Graduate Student Challenge, lst place winner,
1996 UH NS&M Alumni Assoc-Outstanding Graduate Student     
1994 Ruth Satter Memorial Merit Citation, Assoc. Women in Science
1994 Beohering Ingelheim Fonds Short Term Fellowship for study at the
Gesellschaft fur Biotechnologische Forschung, 1994
1971 ACT scholarship, undergraduate 4 yrs

                                               
Synergistic Activities
Reviewer for: NSF, NASA, Nature, PNAS, J Molecular Evolution, Trends in Microbiology, J Theoretical Biology, Molecular Biology, Biology Direct – Editorial Board
Government / Industry Service: Co-convenor AbSciCon 2010, President ISSOL – 2009 – 2011, National Research Council COEL Panelist; Keck Center for Computational Biology, Faculty/Mentor 1999 – present; Houston Science Café 2004-2008, co-director;  Gordon Research Conference, Origin of Life, Vice Chair/Chair Elect, 2004-2006; Gordon Keenan Graduate Research Conference on Origin of Life, 2006, Initiated and organized first ever for GRC OOL conference; SOC – Astrobiology 2008; SOC ISSOL, Science Café – co-director, 2004 – 2008; EANA Astrobiology Workshop, 10/2006; Bioastronomy 2007, Puerto Rico, Scientific Organizing Committee; Bioinformatics Symposium & Workshop, Guadalajara, Mexico, Speaker, 10/2003; Instructor - ESMTB School, Biology and Mathematics of Cells, Siquenza, Spain, 6/2001; NSF ISSOL Regional Representative, 2000-2002; Discussion leader, GRC Origin of Life 2000, 7/ 2000; Guest Lecturer and Organizer, Workshop on Molecular Evolution and Phylogenetic; Analysis, University of Mexico, Mexico City, 1997; Graduate Research Assistant - University of Houston, 1994-1997; Teaching Assistant -Summer Workshop on Molecular Evolution, Marine Biological Laboratories, 1995, '96; Maintained/operated DNA core synthesis facility-University of Houston, 1989-1993; Teaching Assistant - University of Houston, General Microbiology, Nursing Microbiology, and General Biology.