Dr. Harrison-Pitaniello is a professor in the Department of Biological sciences with research interests in the environmental regulation of plant growth and development.
Dr. Harrison-Pitaniello is currently involved in promoting Plant Biology Outreach in her classes aided by a grant from the American Society of Plant Biology.
Previously, she was the Principal Investigator of NSF-funded MU-ADVANCE Program, an innovative networking effort between female STEM faculty working with administrative partners to foster institutional change. She was also the Principal Investigator of the Program, a National Science Foundation grant titled, Undergraduate Mathematical Biology Research at Marshall University, which mentored undergraduate students in year-long mathematical biology research projects.
The major research goal of Dr. Harrison-Pitaniello is to elucidate the regulation of ethylene biosynthesis in response to environmental stress conditions and changes in orientation to gravity.