Career Conversations: Q & A with Biochemist Alexis Komor

Dr. Alexis Komor. Credit: Michelle Fredricks. “DNA is an amazingly beautiful molecule, and it’s so important. Each of our cells has only one copy of DNA, and if it gets damaged, that messes up everything else in the cell,” says Alexis Komor, Ph.D., an assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). Check out the highlights of our interview with Dr. Komor to learn about her scientific journey, research on DNA, and advice for students. Q: How did you decide to study chemistry? A: I really enjoyed math and science in middle and high school. When I applied to college, I knew I wanted to major in science over math because I felt like it was more relevant to what we experience on a day-to-day basis. I ultimately went into chemistry for a silly reason, but looking back now, I’m so very grateful that I did. Chemistry has this nice balance because it allows you to not only understand how things work on a molecular level but also see how those molecular workings relate to everyday phenomena—for example, understanding how DNA damage on a molecular level can lead to negative health outcomes. Q: What was your path to becoming a scientist? A: When I started college at the University of California, Berkeley, my older brother, who’s also in science, told me it was important to get an undergraduate research position. I ended up in the lab of Dr. Chris Chang working with a grad student on an inorganic chemistry ...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Being a Scientist Genes DNA Gene Editing Genomics Profiles Source Type: blogs