She teaches Genetics, an inquiry based project laboratory and two upper level courses about the Biology of Aging. Her research and teaching are intertwined and often feed each other, as one of her main goals is to teach Biology as a process. With the help of very talented students, Dr. Villa-Cuesta’s laboratory studies mitochondrial biology in health and disease. Her laboratory has been funded by the NIH with $250,000 to provide biomedical research experiences for undergraduate students and to enhance the research environment at Adelphi University. She is also the recipient of the Frederick Bettelheim Research Award and two Adelphi University faculty development grants. Dr. Villa-Cuesta was named Outstanding Biology Professor in 2014, 2015 and 2017, Faculty Advisor of the Year for the Biology department in 2016, and was awarded the Teaching Excellence Award for untenured faculty at Adelphi University in 2018.