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Authority Magazine recently highlighted Professor Shahid Mukhtar’s work and career journey in science in the article, “AgTech: Shahid Mukhtar of Clemson University On The New Technologies That Are Revolutionizing Agriculture.” The interview for the article is done by Martita Mestey and the questions asked give great insight into Dr. Mukhtar’s life and career.

Read the article.

Elizabeth Caldwell, senior genetics major, has been selected as a finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship, one of the most prestigious and selective major fellowships available to American college students.

The Rhodes Scholarship, a fully funded postgraduate award which enables talented young people from around the world to study at the University of Oxford, is recognized worldwide as the oldest and most well-known scholarship for academic excellence. Rhode scholars are chosen based on those who demonstrate academic excellence, the energy to use their talents to the fullest, and attributes such as truth, courage, kindness, devotion to duty, moral force of character and instincts to lead.

Elizabeth, who researches rare diseases and advocates for the disability community, was recently announced as Clemson’s 5th Truman Scholar, a federally funded scholarship granted to U.S. undergraduate students for demonstrated leadership potential, academic excellence and a commitment to public service.

Elizabeth is also part of the National Scholars Program, Clemson’s most selective university-wide merit scholarship program. National Scholars are selected through a rigorous process that identifies students with the highest levels of intellectual vision and community engagement.

“A brilliant scientist and determined advocate, Elizabeth’s remarkable accomplishments are eclipsed only by her steadfast and inspirational commitment to making our campus, community, and society more welcoming and accessible,” said Sarah Winslow, inaugural dean of the Clemson University Honors College.

Elizabeth is actively engaged on campus and in the community. She is part of associate professor Michael Sehorn’s lab, which explores DNA repair pathways, serves as the only undergraduate student on Clemson’s Accessibility Commission, and founded Tigers 4 Accessibility, Clemson’s first and only student organization dedicated to creating a more inclusive and accessible campus culture and physical environment.

In addition, Elizabeth acts as a volunteer at the Clemson Free Clinic, a local medical center that provides health care to the area’s low-income population, where she created a Mobility Aid Program that raised $3,000 to offset medical equipment costs for patients.

Elizabeth is one of approximately 800 students nominated nationwide for the Rhodes Scholarship, competing for 32 spots. She is one of 15 finalists from the district representing South Carolina, Georgia and North Carolina. She interviews for the award on November 15 and 16.

If chosen, Elizabeth plans to pursue a master’s program focused on genomic medicine, followed by a master’s degree in global health and epidemiology.

Read more in the Clemson News article.

Associate professor of genetics and biochemistry at Clemson University, Dr. Lukasz Kozubowski earned his bachelor’s and then master’s degrees in pharmaceutical sciences at the Medical University of Warsaw in Poland, whihc is one of the oldest and the largest medical schools in Poland. The first academic department of medicine was established as far back as two centuries ago in 1809.

He then completed his doctorate under the mentorship of Dr. Kelly Tatchell at Louisiana State University Medical Center, studying mechanisms of cell division and morphogenesis (more specifically the biology of septin proteins and related cell signaling involving the PP1 phosphatase). He continued similar investigations under the guidance of Dr. Danny Lew, when he moved to Duke University for his postdoctoral studies.

Subsequently, he performed studies in several labs at Duke (including Joseph Heitman, Andy Alspaugh, and John Perfect) investigating the biology and pathogenicity of a human fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans.

In 2013 he established research program at Clemson University with the main aim to elucidate mechanisms of cell division and stress response in C. neoformans. Dr. Kowzubowski studies C. neoformans to understand the mechanistic cellular processes used by pathogenic microorganisms to allow survival in the infected host. C. neoformans is a major opportunistic fungal pathogen worldwide and a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in AIDS patients.

Dr. Kozubowski’s work with C. neoformans leads to the hypothesis that this pathogen has evolved unique pathways to control cell division in a manner that allows it to survive within a human host. Testing this hypothesis would provide insights into how eukaryotic pathogens adapt to the host environment and could potentially reveal new targets for therapeutic interventions.

In addition to research, Dr. Kozubowski teaches, writes grants and publishes papers in peer-reviewed journals. Read more here.

When senior genetics major Sofia Willey was in middle school, she began having abnormally intense joint pain, something doctors attributed to the rigor of competitive gymnastics and her 20 hour-a-week training schedule.

At first, doctors diagnosed her with hip dysplasia, but that didn’t account for the hypermobility symptoms, scarring and low bone growth. Her doctor then suggested Sofia may have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), specifically the hypermobile subtype. EDS is a rare genetic disorder that affects the connective tissue and can cause weak joints, affecting 1 in 5,000 people.

“I didn’t understand what was happening to me, and no one around me did either.”

Doctors’ limited knowledge of the disorder is due in part to the EDS being under-researched. This has inspired Sofia to pursue a degree in genetics and focus on research while in college.

“It becomes a lot of explaining your own problems to your doctor so they can prescribe or help you find what you need.”

This summer Sofia worked with the Norris Lab at the Medical University of South Carolina on a project related to the complement system and its biological importance in hEDS. Dr. Russell Norris a professor in the Department of Regenerative Medicine and Cell Biology. Norris lab is one of the preeminent labs researching EDS.

Sofia’s specific research aims at finding a diagnostic tool that could use specific protein levels in the blood to determine if a patient has EDS. She focused on changes in the immune system of patients with EDS compared to those without the disease, finding a few significant proteins that had different levels in subjects with EDS than in those without.

Sofia says her time in the Norris lab, which also included patient education, has helped her better understand her disease and problems in her own body. She hopes to change patients’ lives through knowledge of under-recognized diseases.

Read more in the Clemson News article.

If you are looking for senior genetics major Kate Miller, you may find her in the classroom, sports concession stands, Dr. Powder’s lab or on Wednesdays, you’ll see her taking advantage of the $5 sushi deal at Publix.

Both Kate’s focus on community and STEM brought her to Clemson University.

“I came to Clemson because my first visit in middle school caused me to absolutely fall in love with Clemson’s tight-knit community and its emphasis on STEM programs.”

Kate chose her genetics major and her biological sciences minor because she wanted the ability to study both biology and chemistry on a deeper level. Kate says she hopes both her major and minor help in her pursuit of going to Pathologist Assistant school.

“The best part of being in the G&B department has been the personalized support from my mentors and advisors. As a smaller department, I have a strong network with the faculty who make me feel comfortable and supported with my academic and career questions.”

Outside of classes, Kate is involved in extracurriculars but the most important to her is working as a student researcher in Dr. Kara Powder’s lab with the Clemson Creative Inquiry + Undergraduate Research program. In Dr. Powder’s lab she studies craniofacial development of cichlid fishes.

Kate loves working with the fish and notes that this opportunity has greatly enhanced her laboratory skills. Kate’s personal project from this summer explores the developmental effects of estrogen on facial structure.

“Endocrine disruptors such as estrogen have been found in the environment due to pollution, and this research will show what may happen to the facial development of humans if exposed, especially in utero.”

In addition to undergraduate research, Kate is a member and leader of BeakerBox, a CI project where we develop interactive lesson plans for middle school science classrooms in South Carolina. BeakerBox aims to engage 6th-8th graders in the life sciences by keeping science fun and interesting.

“After graduation I plan on going back to school to become a pathologist assistant. My favorite classes right now are Toxicology and Anatomy, which are both fascinating and helping to lay a solid foundation for my future career!”

Director of the Eukaryotic Pathogens Innovations Center (EPIC) and professor of Genetics and Biochemistry Dr. Kerry Smith has taken a role with the Clemson University School of Health Research (CUSHR) as campus research director for the Prisma Health Education and Research Institute (PHERI).

“In this role, I am able to extend my efforts beyond my own laboratory’s research and assist in advancing impactful health-related research in diverse scientific and clinical fields,” said Smith.

PHERI, a collaboration between Prisma Health, Clemson, Furman University and University of South Carolina, seeks to bridge the gap between academics, research, clinical practice and healthcare transformation in a way that is innovative, inter-institutional, inter-professional and interdisciplinary. In his new role, Dr. Smith will work to build and enhance research collaboration between Clemson researchers and clinical faculty from Prisma.

“The increased collaboration will be advantageous for both Clemson researchers and the clinical faculty, as it will enable the Clemson researchers to conduct health-related research in an applied environment that will have a positive impact on individuals,” Smith said. “This will enable the clinical faculty member to offer scientific assistance for innovative interventions that could potentially be implemented outside of Prisma Health–Upstate.”

As campus research director for PHERI, Smith expects these collaborations to continue to generate presentations at conferences for academic researchers and for physicians and healthcare professionals, publications in peer-reviewed journals and external funding.

“Kerry has shown his commitment to our vision of expanding health research at Clemson,” Sherrill said. “We look forward to his success in his new role as Clemson University Campus Research Director for Prisma to enhance our research partnerships and Clemson’s health research mission.”

Read more in the Clemson News article.

The director of the Clemson University Center for Human Genetics, Dr. Trudy Mackay, has been named Clemson University’s first-ever member of the prestigious National Academy of Medicine, one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine.

Mackay is among the 100 new members currently by NAM members. Election to the Academy recognizes individuals who have made major contributions to the advancement of medical sciences, health care and public health.

“Trudy Mackay is a world-renowned researcher in the field of genetics. Her election to the National Academy of Medicine is a historic and exciting day for Clemson University,” said President Jim Clements. “As Clemson’s first National Academy Member of Sciences and now our first National Academy Member of Medicine, Trudy continues to elevate our University’s research profile to new heights. I am thrilled that Trudy has received such an incredible honor, and I am excited to see how her research further transforms and positively impacts the lives of others for generations to come.”

Mackay is among the 100 new members elected Monday by current NAM members. Election to the Academy recognizes individuals who have made major contributions to the advancement of medical sciences, health care and public health.

“I am very honored that the National Academy of Medicine recognizes the value of my model organism work with fruit flies, which has so much potential to impact human health,” Mackay said.

Founded in 1970 as the Institute of Medicine, three academies make up the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine — and Mackay is now a part of two of them, having been elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2010 as well. Mackay is the only one in South Carolina to be elected to more than one.

Mackay’s groundbreaking research uses the common fruit fly Drosophila to discover the genetic roots of complex traits — traits that are influenced by multiple genes — that are important to human health. She developed the Drosophila Genetic Reference Panel, a valuable resource used by researchers from all around the world. The panel includes more than 1,000 fly lines with fully sequenced genomes.

“The whole premise of genetic medicine is that once you know the genes involved, you understand the processes and networks, or the context in which those genes are involved, which often leads to drugs that can target those disease,” said Mackay. “My work historically has been trying to identify those genes and understand those networks.”

Mackay said the NAM honor will enhance Clemson’s advancement of precision medicine.

“Dr. Mackay is a pioneer in human genetics, and this spectacular honor is further recognition of Clemson’s excellence in improving lives through research,” said Cynthia Young, dean of Clemson’s College of Science. “Clemson continues to accelerate her vision of precision medicine — integrating a person’s genetics, environment and lifestyle leading to healthier lives.”

Read more in the Clemson News article. 

In late October three junior biochemistry students represented the department at the annual Biomedical Engineering Society Meeting (BMES) in Baltimore, MD: James Marturano, Kathleen Doran and Addison Schaff (pictured left to right).

Established in 1968, BMES strives to be the professional home for biomedical engineers to assist you in navigating your career path and striving to make the work of biomedical engineering and those in allied fields, more visible. Their mission is to promote a collaborative and inclusive community to advance human health through education, discovery and translation, which drives their research and educational initiatives, including webinars, chapter programs and meetings.

Each student presented a poster of their research findings with their partner.

James Marturano, biochemistry
“Single measurement of DUB activity in multiple myeloma to identity subpopulations based on enzyme activity”

Katleen Doran, biochemistry
“Development of a 3D-Printed Device to Study How Bacteria Alters the 3D Migration of Breast Cancer Cells”

Addison Schaaf, biochemistry
“Co-culture between ER + breast cancer and bacteria using a 3-D printed platform to recreate the tumor microbiome”

Sydney Huiet B.S. ’19, M.S. ’22 remembers being as young as an elementary schooler, visiting friends’ houses and running home to tell her parents that her friend got their nose or eye color from their mom or dad, or what similarities they shared with their siblings.

“I actually knew from a very young age that I was interested in genetics. Even though I didn’t understand what genetics was at that point, I was naturally drawn to it. So, deciding to attend Clemson and study genetics was basically a no-brainer for me!”

Sydney grew up in Summerville, SC and was a genetics major and an animal and veterinary sciences minor, graduating in 2019 with her bachelor’s degree. Starting her sophomore year, Sydney began working in Dr. Leigh Anne Clark‘s Canine Genetics Lab, whose research focuses on identifying and characterizing the genetic underpinnings of complex diseases in dogs.

“Working in Dr. Clark’s lab allowed me to grow my passion for genetics and understand some of the health, emotional, and financial implications of having genetic testing available.”

Sydney completed her undergraduate departmental honors thesis in Dr. Clark’s lab and enjoyed the work so much that she decided to continue her research and stay for graduate school. Sydney worked on a variety of projects, but her undergraduate and master’s theses were both on a dental anomaly in Shetland sheepdogs called lance canine, discovering this condition was associated with having a decreased body size and discovered two linked variants that were causing this size reduction and increased risk for lance canine.

“This work resulted in a cover feature publication in PNAS and the creation of a genetic test for lance canine! This work was extremely rewarding and sparked my desire to go into the field of genetic testing.”

Even though Sydney was confident that working in the genetic testing industry was where she wanted her career to go, she decided to try something a bit different after graduating with her masters in genetics in 2022.

“I figured if I didn’t try something new now, then when would I? So I actually decided to try out working in forensic science at first. I worked at the North Carolina State Crime Laboratory in Hendersonville, NC for nearly two years as a scientist in the forensic biology unit.”

This role involved generating DNA profiles from crime scene evidence, performing statistical analysis to compare any unknown profiles to known standards in the case and testifying to these findings in court when necessary.

“It was rewarding work, but after a few years I knew my passion still lied with genetic testing.”

Sydney’s next move was to her current position at GeneDx, an industry leader in exome and genome testing. GeneDx is a genetic testing company that was founded in 2000 by two scientists from the National Institutes of Health, Sherri Bale and John Compton. GeneDx’s mission is to deliver health insights that inform diagnosis, direct treatment, and improve drug discovery.

Sydney’s is an associate genomic analyst on the Primary Analysis team at GenDx, where she designs PCR primers and send amps to the lab for anything needing confirmation, analyzes the resulting sequencing data and makes calls on whether the variants are real and what the zygosity of each family member is.

“Having accurate and timely results can make a monumental difference in developing a treatment plan for a patient and can save their family much emotional and financial stress. I find this work extremely rewarding, especially as GeneDx is continuing to offer tests with faster and faster turn-around-times for these patients.”

Sydney lives just outside of Charlotte, NC with her high school sweetheart-husband, Evan and works fully remote for GenDx. She is excited about the growing opportunities this field offers.

“There is a lot of growth in this field and at companies like GeneDx, so there are endless opportunities for career advancement, which is exciting! Right now I’m just enjoying newly-ish married life with my husband, Evan, and our three dogs Scout, Obi, and Pippin.”

Assistant professor Dr. Stephen Dolan studies microbial interactions in human infections, particularly the dynamics within polymicrobial communities that contribute to complex, multi-species infections.

Since joining Clemson University in 2023 as an assistant professor in the Department of Genetics and Biochemistry, his lab has been part of the Eukaryotic Pathogens Innovation Center (EPIC) — a leading interdisciplinary hub for cutting-edge research on devastating pathogens.

Dr. Dolan earned his Ph.D. in 2016 from Maynooth University in Ireland under the mentorship of Dr. Sean Doyle. His dissertation research employed comparative ‘omics and reverse genetics to uncover novel regulators of toxin production in the pathogenic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus.

Before coming to Clemson, Dr. Dolan was a Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Marvin Whiteley’s lab at Georgia Tech and the Emory-Children’s Cystic Fibrosis Center in Atlanta, GA (2021–2023).

Prior to moving to the US, he was a Herchel Smith research fellow at the University of Cambridge, where he worked in Dr. Martin Welch’s lab. This fellowship allowed him to leverage comparative ‘omics techniques to study the key respiratory pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa, while also developing expertise in fungal-bacterial interactions in clinical settings.

Dr. Dolan’s research centers on respiratory infections in individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF), where abnormal mucus makes them vulnerable to a wide array of bacterial, viral and fungal pathogens. Rather than focusing on a single model organism, he has deliberately pursued broad training across multiple co-infecting human pathogens—most notably Aspergillus and Pseudomonas.

This comprehensive approach enables him to decipher the complex mechanisms of microbial communication during infection. By using clinical isolates from people with CF, Dr. Dolan explores how the physiology of both pathogens shifts when co-cultured in a model CF environment, compared to when they are grown in isolation.

Dr. Dolan’s research goal is to leverage this cross-kingdom perspective to uncover how fungi respond to bacterial presence (and vice versa) in polymicrobial settings. This insight is crucial for developing innovative therapeutic strategies that could revolutionize the treatment of microbial infections. Pathogenic microbes not only impose a significant burden on healthcare but also impact agriculture.

His research aims to elucidate the physiology and behavior of fungi during human infections, particularly in their interactions with bacteria. By advancing our mechanistic understanding of these processes, he seeks to contribute to the development of novel approaches to combat microbial pathogenesis.