Meet the blogger: Emily C. Kelly

Hello everyone!!! My name is Emily Kelly, and I am a 2^nd year PhD student in the Cell and Developmental Biology Program at Rutgers University. I’m originally from the beautiful, warm-weathered island of Puerto Rico. Since high school, biology, specifically microbiology, has sparked my interest. There is something fascinating to me about a living organism that is unseen to the human eye. From that time, I developed an interest in both clinical and environmental microbiology. I have a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Microbiology and a master’s degree in Biology from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez campus (UPRM). At UPRM, I worked under the guidance of Dr. Matias J. Cafaro doing research throughout my undergraduate and graduate years. In his lab, I developed a passion for research. Dr. Cafaro became a role model and mentor to me, and is the type of professor I aspire to be. During my bachelor’s and master’s degrees, I the majority of my work was in environmental microbiology, but I was still interested in the clinical side. To fulfill this interest, I had the opportunity to complete two research internships, during the summers of 2011 and 2012, at the University of Virginia (UVA), in Dr. Norbert Leitinger’s laboratory in the pharmacology department. After being introduced to biomedical sciences through these experiences, I knew that this was the career path I wanted to pursue. During my master’s, I met Drs. Chaparro and Langer who encouraged me to participate in a partnership program, BRIDGES to the doctorate, that Rutgers University has with UPRM. This program selects students in Puerto Rico working on their master’s degree with a desire to further their studies with a PhD in the biomedical sciences. This was a great opportunity to continue my interests and start building my career. This is how I got to Rutgers! I never thought that I would get this great opportunity! Here at Rutgers, I have met great people and wonderful scientists. I work under the guidance of Dr. Huaye Zhang, whose laboratory’s research focus is in looking at the molecular mechanisms that regulate dendritic spine morphogenesis and plasticity. We also look at the effects that changes on dendritic spines might have that would lead to neurodevelopmental disorders, such as Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), Schizophrenia disease (SD) or Alzheimer’s disease (AD). This research area goes far beyond what I was familiar with, but what is most amazing is that no matter what the research, I am constantly learning and challenging myself with new experiences. I’m also part of the Seeding Labs Rutgers’s Chapter. This program focuses on helping to empower fellow scientists and support research laboratories in developing countries. I also joined the iJOBS blog family in the Fall 2017, where I hope to expand my communication skills and inspire others with my posts. This is a little bit about me, and I will be sure to keep you posted about my own, and my colleagues’, experiences during graduate school!