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Bioinformatics Alum

After graduating from UM in 2012, I completed a three-year IRACDA postdoctoral fellowship at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. This unique postdoctoral experience consisted of a full time mentored research experience coupled with two semesters of mentored teaching experience at a minority serving partner institution. In 2015, I began working as a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Biology at the University of North Carolina Pembroke, a historically American Indian university and one of the most diverse institutions in the southeast.

Biological Chemistry Alum

I earned my PhD in Biological Chemistry in 2007. My mentor was David Engelke, and my research investigated mechanisms by which tRNA genes coordinate subnuclear genome organization and transcriptional silencing in yeast.

I moved to Columbia University to carry out postdoctoral research in the field of insulin signaling and diabetes. My postdoctoral mentor was Domenico Accili, in the Department of Medicine. My research investigated mechanisms by which the insulin-repressible FoxO transcription factors regulate hepatic glucose versus lipid metabolism.

In 2012, I was awarded a K99/R00 and carried out a national faculty job search. I was retained at Columbia and entered a tenure-track faculty position in 2014, in the Department of Pathology and Cell Biology.

Currently, I lead a lab of 4 postdoctoral scientists and 1 PhD student. Our research investigates mechanisms by which insulin resistance and diabetes increase cardiovascular risk. We’ve been funded by grants from the NIH and American Diabetes Association. We think a lot about lipids and bile acids.

I’d love to talk to you if you’re interested in: diabetes, atherosclerosis, metabolism, lipids, bile acids, New York City, future career development grant applications, being a faculty member in a medical school, running a research lab that relies on external funding.

Biophysics Alum

I am just beginning my career as an Assistant Professor – I will not be starting my lab full-time until January 2020. This means I am a great person to talk to if you have questions about postdocing and finding a job, but not so much about what it is actually like to be a professor. I got my B.S. in 2009 from Washington University in St. Louis, where I majored in chemical engineering and mathematics and decided that I wanted to study protein folding. Immediately upon moving to Michigan I was convinced by my eventual advisors Charles Brooks and Hashim Al-Hashimi to study RNA folding instead. Over the course of 5 great years I ran countless hours of molecular dynamics simulations and witnessed the nadir of Michigan Football, graduating in 2014 with my degree in Biophysics. I then moved to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where I have been doing a postdoc with Kevin Weeks developing hybrid chemical/computational methods for characterizing RNA structure in cells. At Baylor, my lab will focus on deploying these technologies to understand how mRNA structure encodes post-transcriptional regulation in healthy and diseased cells.

Cancer Biology Alum

I am a Postdoctoral Research Fellow funded through the MICHR Postdoctoral Translational Scholars Program (PSTP). I received my BS from the University of Puerto Rico in Mayagüez and PhD from the University of Michigan in Cancer Biology. My previous work focused on the molecular characterization of esophageal adenocarcinomas with efforts on understanding racial disparities in this cancer’s incidence. Currently, in the Spence Lab, I am working towards developing an in vitro model of human esophagus using both primary human esophagus tissue and human pluripotent stem cells (HPSCS), with the future goal of studying tissue injury and esophagus cancer development.

Molecular and Cellular Pathology Alum

Cell and Developmental Biology Alum

After graduate school at UM, I taught undergraduate biology courses at Vassar College and University of Richmond to gain undergraduate teaching experience. Currently, I am a junior faculty member at Stetson University, a small primarily undergraduate college in Florida. I enjoy teaching undergraduates and developing engaging curriculum. During the summers, I have a been a research fellow at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA.

Cellular and Molecular Biology Alum

Going into my PhD, I thought I might eventually be interested in eventually teaching at a small college based on my experiences during college and afterwards. During my PhD and post-doc, I gained multiple experiences teaching undergraduates and intentionally chose to work with a model organism during my post-doc that I knew would be tractable at a small, liberal arts college. After a three year post-doc, I got my current job at Vassar College teaching biology classes and mentoring undergraduate research projects.

Human Genetics Alum

Immunology Alum

I received my PhD in Immunology from the University of Michigan in 2008, focusing on transplant immunology. Specifically, I studied the contributions of CD40 and CD40L engagement to transplant rejection under the guidance of Dr. Bishop. I continued these studies in the same laboratory during a brief postdoctoral fellowship in 2008. From 2008-2013, I worked as a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Bromberg (Mount Sinai School of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine), focusing on transplant immunology and T cell trafficking.
I joined the Immune Tolerance Network in 2013 to serve as the lead biologist for the transplant portfolio. Here, I lead mechanistic study design and results interpretation for the transplant trials. This role includes identifying and collaborating with core laboratories and centers of excellence to conduct experiments and receive data, allocating resources, developing projects, executing data analysis and interpretation, and preparing results for publication. It also includes membership to the Transplant Assessment Group, which provides strategic guidance for determining the content and direction of the transplant portfolio. This role supports the mission of the ITN; to integrate mechanistic mechanisms and/or biomarkers of tolerance with clinical outcomes to guide the development of tolerance-inducing therapies.

Molecular and Integrative Physiology Alum

I graduated with a PhD from the UM Dept. of Physiology in 2008, served as a postdoctoral fellow and then as a Research Investigator in the UM Dept. of Pharmacology until 2014. I then accepted a tenure track faculty position at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Microbiology and Immunology Alum

After graduating in 2005, I worked in clinical microbiology at U of M with the thought that I would train to be a laboratory director (ABMM). I was recruited by th DoD in 2007 to be a technical director for the Applied Technology Center at Brooks City Base in San Antonio. I was in charge of basic tech evaluation for our airmen but eventually began working to bring up next generation sequencing to help in pathogen detection/outbreaks in 2009. In 2011 I was promoted to senior leadership and currently lead the pathogen detection and therapeutic portfolio for the USAF in addition to being a first line supervisor.

Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology

I’m a molecular microbiologist turned academic administrator. I know that doesn’t sound like the most exciting career paths, but I can’t imagine a job more rewarding that this. After finishing my PhD in the Chapman Lab in the Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, I moved to Saint Louis for my dream postdoc, only to realize that I was no longer enamored with bench research. I moved back to Michigan to be near family and returned to the Chapman Lab as a postdoc. During that time I worked on developing my people and project management skills, explored diverse career avenues, and networking broadly. In my current role, I develop workshops, organize seminars, and advise biomedical grad students and postdocs to help them along their career and professional development paths. I help students and postdocs explore careers, build their portfolios, apply and interview for jobs, and develop as professionals.

In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my husband and dogs, working in my garden, and DIY home improvement projects.

Neuroscience Alum

I am a neuroscientist by training, but a data junky by compulsion. I have a passion for early stage innovation of all types: science, technology, culinary. I constantly crave new hurdles and above all else, I'm a problem solver. Working as the director of business development for a cutting edge biotechnology company is a perfect fit. We are using CRISPR gene editing to create cell therapies for oncology indications.

Pharmacology Alum

Due to family situations, I was geographically restricted. UM postdoc. UM Research faculty and teaching at a community college for a while. Then applied for instructional track position. Geographical restrictions slowed my timeline overall but it worked out with patience and perseverance.