CBC Alumni Spotlight: Ellie Browne, Class of 2023

After graduating with my B.S. in Biochemistry and my B.A. in Philosophy in May, I spent the summer in Tucson finishing up my undergraduate research and soaking up the sun. I took a road trip in August to my new home: New Haven, Connecticut!

In the last few months, I’ve had the opportunity to pursue my passion for chemical biology as a PhD student at Yale University. I am taking classes across disciplines, including cell biology, physical organic chemistry, and biotechnology. Yale offers the opportunity for chemical biology students to complete three 8-week long rotations in different research labs. In Dr. Stacy Malaker’s lab, I analyzed biomarkers of osteoarthritis using mass spectrometry. Now, I am working in Dr. Scott Miller’s lab developing strategies to chemically alter biosynthesized peptides. In February, I will rotate in Dr. Stavroula Hatzios’s lab studying redox chemistry at the host-microbe interface. I will choose one of these labs to complete my dissertation research over the next five years. Outside of my program, I joined the Yale Prison Education Initiative, which offers college credit-bearing courses to incarcerated people in Connecticut. In the future, I hope to become a professor.

I am incredibly grateful for my education at UArizona which prepared me for my PhD program. I am especially thankful to my research mentors, Dr. John Jewett, and Dr. Natasha Cornejo, as well as the support of Dr. Katrina Miranda and Cindy Neal through the NIH Maximizing Access to Research Careers program.