This week's spotlight is Alexis Edwards, a chemistry graduate research assistant in the Gallagher lab! Congratulations to her and her recent successful dissertation defense!
What interested you to pursue a career in STEM?
Until high school, I never put much thought into my future career. For most of my childhood, my parents said I was destined to be a great lawyer because I loved to argue, so that was the path I assumed I would take. It wasn’t until my sophomore year of high school, when the Chemistry Department Chair from UT Tyler came to my school to host a seminar, that I realized my love of science could have career options other than medical doctor. Spending two summers at UT Tyler participating in ACS Project SEED further cemented my love for chemistry and made me decide to not only be the first in my family to go to college, but to also be the first to go to graduate school. Being where I am now, I know I made the right decision: I was meant to be a chemist, not a lawyer.
How would you describe your work to the public?
I use mass spectrometry to investigate the gas-phase structure and stability of intact proteins and protein-ligand complexes. Traditionally, most protein-focused mass spectrometry work is done in positive-ion mode, even though not all proteins have a positive charge when in their functional form. My work focuses on investigating whether the solution-phase charge of a protein effects how it behaves as a gas-phase ion by analyzing various proteins in both positive- and negative-ion mode.
Outside of the lab, what do you enjoy doing?
I like to indulge in various hobbies (crochet, cross stitch, quilting, and playing video games) and spending time with my husband and two dogs! Is there something during your research career that you have really enjoyed or want to share?
Presenting at several conferences has been an amazing experience! Being able to present my work in person to other graduate students, and sometimes even their professors, led to some really helpful conversations and helped me find ways to better communicate my work and its significance. Going to a conference can be scary, particularly if you are an introvert like me, but is something I highly recommend every graduate student do at least once!
If you can give a piece of advice to the younger generation, what would it be?
General life advice: Don’t feel guilty for investing time and energy into something that you enjoy, especially if it is non-work related. There will always be something for work/school that you could be doing, but it’s important to take the time to step back and enjoy hobbies or activities that make you happy.
STEM career advice: Nothing in science is easy, and you can’t do everything on your own. No one starts out an expert in anything, so it’s okay to ask for help when you need it.