B.A. (cum laude) in Biochemistry, Olivet College, Olivet, Michigan, 1986. Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio, 1991. Postdoctoral fellowship, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland, 1992-1996. Assistant Professor, The University of Texas at Houston Medical School, Houston, Texas, 1998-2004. Adjunct Assistant Professor, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, 2002-2005. Associate Professor, The University of Texas at Houston Medical School, Houston, Texas, 2004-2005. Professor and Chair, The University of Texas at El Paso, Department of Biological Sciences, 2005-present.

• Office of Research and Sponsored Projects Millionaire Research Award - ORSP (01/01/2018-12/31/2018)
• Office of Research and Sponsored Projects Millionaire Research Award - ORSP (01/01/2017-12/31/2017)
• Office of Research and Sponsored Projects Millionaire Research Award - ORSP (01/01/2016-12/31/2016)
• Office of Research and Sponsored Projects Millionaire Research Award - ORSP (01/01/2015-12/31/2015)
• Office of Research and Sponsored Projects Millionaire Research Award - ORSP (01/01/2014-12/31/2014)
• Outstanding leadership and mentoring - ORSP (01/01/2014-12/31/2014)
• Office of Research and Sponsored Projects Millionaire Research Award - ORSP (01/01/2013-12/31/2013)
• Office of Research and Sponsored Projects Millionaire Research Award - Office of Research and Sponsored Projects (01/01/2012-12/31/2012)
• Office of Research and Sponsored Projects Outstanding Performance Award 2012 - Office of Research and Sponsored Projects (01/01/2012-12/31/2012)
• Symposium Chair Award - BIT's 3rd Annual World DNA and Genome Day (04/27/2012)
• UTEP Office of Research and Sponsored Projects Award for Outstanding Performance in securing Extramural Funding (08/01/2011-08/31/2011)
• Award for Outstanding Performance in Securing Extramural Funding and Faculty Mentoring - UTEP Office of Research and Sponsored Projects (08/31/2010)
• Young Investigator Travel Award - American Society of Transplant Surgeons (01/01/1999-12/31/1999)
• Intramural Research Training Assistantship Award - National Institutes of Health (01/01/1995-12/31/1995)
• Intramural Research Training Assistantship Award - National Institutes of Health (01/01/1994-12/31/1994)
• Intramural Research Training Assistantship Award - National Institutes of Health (01/01/1993-12/31/1993)
• Intramural Research Training Assistantship Award - National Institutes of Health (01/01/1992-12/31/1992)
• Graduate Student Research Lecture Award, Wright State University - Sigma Xi (01/01/1987-12/31/1987)
• Commencement Speaker - Olivet College (01/01/1986-12/31/1986)
• Student Research Award, Olivet College - American Institute of Chemists (01/01/1986-12/31/1986)
• President, Olivet College Chapter of the ACS - American Chemical Society (01/01/1985-12/31/1985)
• Presidential Scholar Award for Academic Excellence - Olivet College (01/01/1985-12/31/1985)
• Student Senate Representative - Olivet College (01/01/1985-12/31/1985)
• Presidential Scholar Award for Academic Excellence - Olivet College (01/01/1984-12/31/1984)
• Student Senate Representative - Olivet College (01/01/1984-12/31/1984)
• Presidential Scholar Award for Academic Excellence - Olivet College (01/01/1983-12/31/1983)
• Presidential Scholar Award for Academic Excellence - Olivet College (01/01/1982-12/31/1982)

• Cytokine Molecular Mechanisms Section, National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute (1996)
• Ph D in Biomedical Sciences, Wright State University (1991)
• BA in Biochemistry, Olivet College (1986)

• The SARS-CoV-2 origin dilemma: Zoonotic transfer or laboratory leak? BioEssays (2021), Blanca E. Ruiz-Medina, Armando Varela-Ramirez, Robert A. Kirken, Elisa Robles-Escajeda.
• Quadruple and Truncated MEK3 Mutants Identified from Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Promote Degradation and Enhance Proliferation International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2021), Yoshira M. Ayala-Marin, Alice H. Grant, Robert A. Kirken.
• Phosphorylation of CrkL S114 induced by common gamma chain cytokines and T-cell receptor signal transduction. Scientific Reports 11 1695 (2021), Armando Estrada, Alejandro C. Rodriguez, Georgialina Rodriguez, Alice H. Grant, Yoshira M. Ayala-Marin, Amy J. Arrieta, Robert A. Kirken.
• The Genomic Landscape of a Restricted ALL Cohort from Patients Residing on the U.S./Mexico Border International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18 (2021), Alice Hernandez Grant, Yoshira M. Ayala-Marin, Jonathon E. Mohl, Elisa Robles Escajeda, Georgialina Rodriguez, Julie Dutil, Robert A. Kirken.
• The Many Faces of JAKs and STATs Within the COVID-19 Storm Frontiers in Immunology 12:690477 (2021), Alice H. Grant, Armando Estrada, Yoshira M. Ayala-Marin, America Y. Alvidrez-Camacho, Georgialina Rodriguez, Elisa Robles Escajeda, Denisse A. Cadena-Medina, Alejandro C. Rodriguez, Robert A. Kirken.
• Immunodiagnostic Biomarkers for Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC): The First Step in Detection and Treatment. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2021), Mengtao Xing, Xinzhi Wang, Robert A. Kirken, Ling He, Jian-Ying Zhang.
• Pharmacodynamic biomarkers in metronomic chemotherapy: multiplex cytokine measurements in gastrointestinal cancer patients Clinical and Experimental Medicine (2020), Paloma Valenzuela, Derrick Oaxaca, Teresa D. Desidero, Robert A. Kirken.
• Bif-1 Interacts with Prohibitin-2 To Regulate Mitochondrial Inner Membrane During Cell Stress and Apoptosis. Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (2019), Robert A. Kirken, S-G. Cho, X. Xiao, X. Wang, H. Gao, R. Rafikov, S. Black, S. Huang, H. Ding, Y. Yoon, X. Yin, H. Wang, Z. Dong.
• Olfactory Receptor Family 7 Subfamily C Member 1 as a potential prognostic marker for pediatric T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients The FASEB Journal 33 S1 (2019), Haidar Ahmed, Juan S. Espinoza, Dayoung Jeon, Alexia Jauregui, Charles A. Bill, Zachary Parada, David Paz, Alice Hernandez, Robert A. Kirken, Colin A. Bill, Charlotte Vines.
• Integration of a Personalized Molecular Targeted Therapy into the Multimodal Treatment of Refractory Childhood Embryonal Tumor with Multilayered Rosettes (ETMR). Case Reports in Oncology (2019), Robert A. Kirken, L.R. Hartman, D.M. Oaxaca, B. Carcamo, H.L. Wilson, J.A. Ross, E. Robles-Escajeda.
• The Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) Translational Research Network: Building and Sustaining Capacity for Multi-Site Basic Biomedical, Clinical and Behavioral Research (2019), Robert A. Kirken, E.O. Ofili, P.B. Tchounwou, E. Fernandez-Repollet, R. Yanagihara, T.H. Akintobi, J.E. Lee , M. Malouhi, S.T. Garner Jr., T.T. Hayes, A.R. Baker, A.L. Dent, M. Abdelrahim, L. Rollins, S.P. Chang , A. Sy, B.Y. Hernandez , P.L. Bullard, R.J. Noel Jr., B. Shiramizu, J.R. Hedges, M.J. Berry , V.C. Bond, M.F. Lima, N. Mokuau , M. Cruz-Correra , D.F. Sarpong , J. Vadgama, C. Yates, S.A Kahn, K.F. Soliman, G. Perry, M. Pezzano, C.A. Luciano, M.E. Barnett, A. Oyekan, D. Kumar, K.C. Norris.
• Exploration of Nanoparticle-Mediated Photothermal Effect of TMB-H2O2 Colorimetric System and Its Application in a Visual Quantitative Photothermal Immunoassay. Annals of Chemistry 90 9 (2018), G Fu, S T. Sanjay, W Zhou, R A. Brekken, Robert A. Kirken, X Li.
• Isoproterenol induced beta-2 adrenergic receptor activation negatively regulates interleukin-2 signaling. Biochem J. (2018), B E. Ruiz-Medina, D A. Cadena-Medina, E Esparza, A J. Arrieta, Robert A. Kirken.
• Impact of CTLA-4 blockade in conjunction with metronomic chemotherapy on preclinical breast cancer growth British Journal of Cancer 116 3 (2017), K Parra, P Valenzuela, N Lerma, A Gallegos, L C. Reza, Georgialina Rodriguez, U Emmenegger, T DiDesidero, G Bocci, M S. Felder, Marian M. Manciu, Robert A. Kirken, Giulio Francia.
• Selective Acceleration of CRLF2+Lymphoblast phagocytosis with CD47siRNA-Loaded Anti-CRLF2 Antibody Armored Biodegradable Nanoparticles Advances in Biomedical Engineering 1 2 (2017), S Mahesula, R Raghunathan, A Catala, Robert A. Kirken, K Nash, W E. Haskins.
• The prohibitin protein complex promotes mitochondrial stabilization and cell survival in hematologic malignancies Oncotarget (in press), Jeremy A. Ross, Elisa Robles-Escajeda, Derrick M. Oaxaca, Diana L. Padilla, Robert A. Kirken.

• JAK3: Past, Present, and Future (2021), Volume New Mexico State University, Robert A. Kirken.

• Implementing Community-based Approaches to Increase SARS-CoV-2 Testing among an Underserved and Vulnerable Hispanic Population
• Border Biomedical Research Center - Research Infrastructure Core (RIC)
• BBRC Bridge Funding
• Border Biomedical Research Center