Meet the Professor Who Turned a Student’s Childhood Curiosity Into a Career Path

Suzanne Sukhdeo leaves behind a legacy carried forward by the Rutgers students she inspired

Suzanne Sukhdeo has overseen myriads of students during her career at Rutgers, whether as an associate teaching professor in the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources or as a coordinator for the Student Success Initiative.

After 37 years at Rutgers, she is set to retire in July. Her impact resonates both in the parasitology research she published and the students she has taught and advised.

One of them is Russell Gurland, a Rutgers Honors College student who graduated this year with a bachelor of science degree in ecology, evolution and natural resources and a minor in entomology.

Gurland's first course at Rutgers was Sukhdeo's "Trees and the Environment" class.

"I've heard from a lot of people that the way people get interested in the ecology, evolution and natural resources major is Dr. Sukhdeo," he said. "[She] gets people into the program through her enthusiasm for the subject and the way she teaches and her advising."

He recalled always sitting toward the front of her class and always asking questions.

"Eventually, she had to limit me, saying 'let the other people get a chance,'" he said jokingly.

This wasn't the first time he met Sukhdeo. In high school, Gurland was connected to Rutgers through the Rutgers Cooperative Extension's 4-H program in Union County. He also participated in the Rutgers 4-H STEM Ambassadors Program in 2020. That is when he met Sukhdeo for the first time.

In the program, participants have the chance to meet many different Rutgers researchers in a roundtable session, and they usually have their choice of researchers to question, from equine science to microbiology to mathematics.

The one table that stood out to Gurland was "the one with a bunch of intestinal worms and jars" on the table.

"A lot of people are grossed out by that," he said. "I found it pretty interesting."

There he met Sukhdeo and her husband.

Gurland's time in the program kickstarted his student research career. While in high school, he reached out to a Rutgers professor to learn more about a particular interest: herpetology, the study of amphibians and reptiles. That professor referred him to her graduate student, and soon enough Gurland was going into the field before he even went to college.

He credited the program for introducing him to the world of research academia and giving him the opportunity to interact with people he wouldn't have otherwise. He advised those coming after him to take advantage of Rutgers outreach opportunities like these.

"It is very hard to build up the courage to talk to somebody who you see as such a professional in their field," he said. "The STEM Ambassadors Program ... gets you in a room with so many different individuals - so many who are so incredibly passionate about what they're doing. And they're there to share what they do with you and they're happy to do so."

Becoming a Rutgers Researcher

With experiences like these, "I was just like Rutgers [is] 100% the university I wanted to go to," he said.

As an Honors College student, Gurland was encouraged to get out of the classroom and do research for his credits. Through his connections at Rutgers, he was able to secure an internship at New York's American Museum of Natural History in its invertebrate zoology department. There, he helped organize massive, but delicate international collections.

"After being there and doing stuff for a couple of years, I just asked if I could come back," said Gurland, who reached out to the herpetology department to have a chance to work with his favorite creatures.

His research didn't stop there. In the days leading up to convocation, he was helping another professor collect salamander specimens to swab for an amphibious disease.

Gurland is looking to stay close as he contemplates graduate schools. In the meantime, he continues to volunteer at the museum, now studying snake genetics. He said the more research experience, the better when it comes to graduate school applications.

Gurland said he would be happy to find himself in a museum position. But he feels like a university is where he would like to end up.

"There's the opportunity for research [and] interacting with people who are very like-minded and love animals," he said.

Gurland spokes fondly of the connections he's made at Rutgers. He still talks to the graduate student (now a doctor) who gave him his start in field work back in high school.

"I was just sending him a message about the salamanders I found this morning," Gurland said. "His mentorship has been one of the most incredible things about Rutgers."

Gurland has remained in touch with Sukhdeo throughout his undergraduate career.

"I only did have two classes with her, but she did make an amazing impact," he said. "Essentially, she has been my first introduction to actually being a student at Rutgers and one of my last courses, as well.

"I'm very glad to have had the chance to take them since she is retiring."

And as for matters outside of academia? Gurland, who is fond of reptiles (especially snakes) and amphibians, hopes to care for one as a pet once he has the space to do so.

"They scare most people, but I'm the one who just picks them up when I see them," he said with a smile.