Research Focus

Thesis Project title: The consequences of mutator-driven mutagenesis and analysis of life span extending interventions using outgrowth analysis and replicative life span in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

I use budding yeast to model mutator phenotypes and investigate how mutator-driven mutagenesis limits fitness and replicative life span. Using a yeast outgrowth assay I developed to identify and characterize inhibitors of mTOR signaling, I am also identifying life span extending compounds that can be used to increase healthy human and companion pet life span.

Selected Awards

HHMI Gilliam Fellowship for Advanced Study

Pacific Science Center Science Communication Fellowship

Cell and Molecular Biology Training Grant

GO-MAP Bank of America Fellowship

GO-MAP President’s Graduate Scholar Award

Honorable mention, NSF Graduate Research Fellowship

WWU Research and Sponsored Programs Graduate Grant

WWU Biology Alumni Student Research Fellowship

WWU Declan Barron Memorial Scholarship

WWU Philosophy Department Undergraduate Fellowship

All Nations Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (ANLSAMP) Fellowship

Publications

Lee, M.B., Carr, D., Kiflezghi, M., Zhao, Y., Kim, D., Thon, S., Moore, M., Li, M., Kaeberlein, M. A system to identify inhibitors of mTOR signaling using high-resolution growth analysis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, GeroScience (2017) https://doi.org/10.1007/s11357-017-9988-4