Dr. Barry R. Chess has taught microbiology at Pasadena City College (PCC) for over 20 years. Before that, while studying at the University of California and the California State University, he conducted research into the expression of genes involved in the development of muscle and bone.

At PCC, beyond his usual presence in the microbiology laboratory and lecture hall, Dr. Chess has developed a course in human genetics, taught non-majors and majors biology, helped to found a biotechnology program on campus, and regularly supervises students completing independent research projects in the life sciences. Over the past several years, his interests have focused on innovative methods of teaching that lead to greater student success. He has reviewed and written cases for the National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science and contributed to the ebook Science Stories You Can Count On: 51 Case Studies with Quantitative Reasoning in Biology. Professor Chess has presented papers and talks on the effective use of case studies in the classroom, the use of digital tools to enhance learning etc. In addition to Laboratory Applications in Microbiology, he is the co-author of the lecture textbook Foundations in Microbiology, now in its 11th edition.