Tag: biochemistry

National Scholar Elizabeth Caldwell graduated with a degree in genetics in May 2025 and is headed to Yale University for a master’s degree in public health.

Since her freshman year, Caldwell has worked with Michael Sehorn, associate professor of genetics and biochemistry, focusing on DNA damage repair pathways in various disorders, including a rare immunodeficiency disease. Her passion stems from her own underresearched disorder, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

Her love for research led her to the highly selective pediatric oncology education program at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in the summers of 2023 and 2024, where she researched rare, cancerous mutations related to leukemia. On campus, Caldwell founded the Tigers 4 Accessibility club and volunteered at the Clemson Free Clinic.

Caldwell has been named a Truman Scholar and has received Clemson’s Norris Medal, the Matt Locke Leadership Award, the College of Science Outstanding Senior in Science Award, the Riley Institute’s Upstate Diversity Leadership Award, Dr. William Marcotte Outstanding Undergraduate Research Award and the Department of Genetics and Biochemistry Outstanding Senior in Genetics Award.

Eli Verdin, who is one minute younger than his twin brother Zack, always knew he would end up at Clemson, while Zack was more interested in the University of South Carolina. At the last minute, Zack changed his mind and enrolled at Clemson with Eli.

Both share an affinity for the sciences and graduated in May 2025 with degrees in biochemistry.

“It’s beneficial, both of us being biochemistry majors and taking similar classes, so a lot of times we help each other study,” Zack said.

While at Clemson, Eli and Zack conducted DNA repair research in assistant professor Jennifer Mason’s lab. After meeting Mason in a first-year genetics course, they started conducting research in her lab on a specific protein in the homologous recombination pathway, which repairs DNA. Eli and Zack say they’ve developed both research skills and life skills, such as time and project management while in Mason’s lab.

The twins were also involved in Prisma Health’s MedEx Academy program and volunteered with the Clemson LIFE Program and the Paw Pantry.

Eli hopes to go into orthopedics while Zack is eager to be a part of emergency medicine. They both were accepted to the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in Greenville and will start in the Fall of 2025.

At the 2025 Spring Research in Symposium (RIP) Genetics and Biochemistry graduate meeting, the G&B Graduate Student Association honored their outstanding students with awards.

• Outstanding 1st Year: Shafi Mondal
• Outstanding Masters Student: Jordyn Hock
• Outstanding Junior (2nd/3rd year) Ph.D. Student: Jessica Aycock
• Outstanding Senior (4+ year) Ph.D. Student: Bharath Kunduru
• Most Invovled: Sabrina Pizzaro
• Most Graduate Spirit: Arohi Singhal
• Research Rockstar: Zane Tolbert

A Clemson native, May ’25 alum Griffin Thomas was a familiar face in the Life Sciences Building (LSB) during his undergrad, something that he looks back fondly on.

“Every day I looked forward to going to the LSB, knowing I would get the chance to talk to a past professor, a friend studying in the atrium, a member of the Genetics and Biochemistry staff or a member of the support staff.”

Griffin was a biochemistry major with minors in genetics and social sciences and was named an Eukaryotic Pathogens Innovations Center (EPIC) Seifert Scholar, served as the president of the Clemson Rotaract Club, a volunteer with the Cottingham Hospice House and a clinical research assistant in the School of Nursing.

Arguably, his most important work while at Clemson was his research in Dr. James Morris’ lab within EPIC where he studied the metabolism of T. brucei and Nagleria Fowleri in order to elucidate potential therapeutic targets.

After graduation, Griffin will be conducting research with the Department of Neurosurgery at Lenox Hill Hospital in NYC for a year prior to attending medical school.

“I hope this opportunity will prepare me to provide more informed and comprehensive care to my future patients and prepare me for a career in neurosurgery.”

Our G&B seniors graduated yesterday and among them was biochemistry student, now alum, Ruxi Xia. An international student from China, Ruxi enjoyed the strong biochemistry program Clemson had to offer, setting her up for future successes in research.

“I wanted a strong biochemistry program to set me up for success in cancer research as it has been my career choice since one of my family members passed from cancer.”

Ruxi was an intern at the Clemson Light Imaging Facility and participated in lab research at the Nanobiotechnology lab.

“I have worked on many independent immunofluorescence staining projects, learned to operate wide-field and confocal microscopes, and coordinated an imaging contest that receives entries from all over the world for that past three years.”

She has served as co-director for the Clemson Paw Pantry, president of the Clemson Chinese Students and Scholars Association and community service coordinator for the Clemson Rotaract Club, tutored at the Academic Success Center and acted as member of CUSG Campus Advancement committee.

“I have really enjoyed getting to help the community whether that is helping at the Clemson Community Care, local farms, and other shelters in the community.”

Her favorite moment during her undergrad was receiving her college ring at the Clemson Ring Ceremony with her best friends.

Ruxi plans to attend Columbia University for a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering.

On Thursday, May 1, the College of Science celebrated its faculty and staff with awards and recognition at its annual awards ceremony. Many genetics and biochemistry departmental members were honored with nominations and awards.

Alison Starr Moss – Dean’s Distinguished Lecturer Award

James Morris – Dean’s Distinguished Professor Award

Heidi Anderson – Excellence in Teaching Award

Rick Moseley – Outstanding Staff Member Award

G&B Advising and Registration Services Team – Oustanding Team Award

The last four years of her undergraduate studies, graduating biochemistry senior Kailie Greer, has spent trying new things and meeting new people. From studying abroad to participating in a Creative Inquiry (CI) Program, Kailie has fully taken advantage of the experiential learning that Clemson has to offer.

Kailie was a part of Dr. Scott Pratt’s Advancement of Assisted Reproductive Technologies for Cattle and Other Species CI and studied abroad in Florence, Italy last summer at the Institute of Lorenzo de’ Medici (LdM) in Florence, Italy, which is noted as one of the most distinctive and well-established study abroad institutions in Italy. In addition, Kailie worked part-time at Crossroads Animal Hospital in Seneca, SC.

Upon graduation, Kailie is taking a gap year and working at Salt Marsh Animal Hospital in Kiawah, SC before applying to veterinary school.

“Clemson has brought me so many opportunities and I am forever thankful for the four years I had here.”

Alumni Christine Hart ’18 and biochemistry major Caroline Argenti were recognized by the prestigious National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program, receiving three years of financial support for graduate study.

The Graduate Research Fellowship Program supports outstanding students early in their graduate school careers based on their demonstrated potential for significant research achievements in science, technology, engineering and mathematics or in STEM education. Recipients receive a $37,000 stipend and a full cost of education allowance, which covers their tuition and mandatory fees.

Caroline Argenti’s research focuses on expanding the field of nanotechnology with an emphasis on RNA (ribonucleic acid) therapeutics. Caroline has also been awarded the Goldwater Scholarship in 2024. After she graduates, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Christine Hart ‘18, researches the impact of global and anthropogenic changes on insect communities and how to address insect declines through research-based management solutions and equitable science education for K-12 students with language-based learning differences. She currently runs a small business providing educational support and consulting for students with learning disabilities and works part-time at Clemson’s Coastal Research and Education Center in a vegetable entomology lab run by Tom Bilbo, assistant professor of plant and environmental sciences.

Read more in the Clemson News article.

Graduating senior Sofia Willey spent the last four years taking advantage of the undergraduate research opportunities that Clemson and the Department of Genetics and Biochemistry offer studying her own rare genetic disorder, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a disorder that affects the connective tissue and can cause weak joints.

In addition to her research, Willey is a member of the Kappa Delta sorority, vice president of Alpha Epsilon Delta, a national health pre-professional health society and volunteers for Tigers4Accesibility.

In the future Sofia hopes to change patients’ lives through knowledge of under-recognized diseases. 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.

Sofia will be taking a deferral year and starting medical school at the University of South Carolina Greenville in 2026.

Assistant professor Stephen Dolan has been awarded a Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) grant to acquire the university’s first hyperspectral snapshot imaging (HSI) system, a transformative technology poised to revolutionize pathogen research. This system will provide unparalleled spectral and spatial imaging capabilities, allowing researchers to enhance phenotypic profiling of eukaryotic pathogens that impact human health.

The title of the grant is “CU-MRI: Next-Generation Hyperspectral Snapshot Imaging for Enhanced Phenotypic Profiling of Eukaryotic Pathogens Impacting Human Health.”

The grant supports the acquisition of Ximea snapshot imagers, which leverage cutting-edge CCD technology to capture high-resolution spectral data across 57 bands in the visible spectrum. Unlike traditional hyperspectral imaging approaches that require slow, labor-intensive scanning, this new system operates in snapshot mode, capturing full spectral datasets at speeds of up to 300 frames per second. These capabilities will enable Clemson scientists to study dynamic biological processes in real time, advancing research in pathogen detection, host-pathogen interactions, and microbial physiology.