Be a Biochemist

Leading as an Inclusive Researcher Advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion of historically excluded students in STEM has been a large part of my identity and effort throughout my graduate school journey. As a Chicana, I recognize the barriers imposed upon disadvantaged groups and know that I would not be where...

Clair Huffine is a 2025 PhD candidate in the Cameron Laboratory. She recently won the 2023 Biophysics Supergroup Outstanding Research Presentation Award; is a 2023 P.E.O. SCHOLARS Award applicant; and in 2022 was an NIH/CU Molecular Biophysics trainee and received Honorable Mention for GRFP - the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship...

Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation awards $3.9 million to exceptional early-career scientists Nicole Marie Hoitsma, PhD [HHMI Fellow] , with her sponsor Karolin Luger, PhD, at University of Colorado, Boulder, has been named one of 13 new Damon Runyon Fellows by the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation. The Damon Runyon...

Emily Kibby is a 2025 PhD candidate in Biochemistry in the Aaron Whiteley Research Group. She became an NIH Signaling and Cellular Regulation Trainee in 2020 and in 2021 received a Graduate Teaching Award. A BLOOMING SCIENTIST It was only in high school that I started to appreciate chemistry and...

Calvin Voong is a 2024 PhD Candidate in Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Molecular Biology in the Goodrich-Kugel Research Group. In 2019 he received a Graduate Teaching Award; in 2021 he received a Department Service Award; and in 2023 was a member of the Graduate Recruiting Team. LOS ANGELES LEADS TO BOULDER...

Sometimes life tells us we’re meant to do something. In Camila Sousa’s case, it started young, growing up in a house in Boulder with not one but two PhD scientists for parents. Camila’s mom is a molecular biologist, and her dad, Marcelo Sousa, is a principal investigator here in the...

Dr. Stephanie Moon is working on ridding the world of disease. Beginning with an early obsession with finding a cure for chicken pox, Dr. Moon set her sights on RNA viruses, a family which includes some of the most prolific killers in human history: HIV, Zika, Hepatitis C, Ebola. Part...

Though she sounds every bit the polished Silicon Valley CEO while discussing spin-ups, revenue streams, and funding runways, Dr. Tina Boville first describes herself as “a huge nerd.” via Zoom. A CU Biochem doctoral alum, Tina grew up on Anne McCaffrey’s science-fantasy series Dragonriders of Pern , which heavily incorporates...

Dr. Celso Espinoza is a senior drug discovery investigator with the biopharmaceutical firm AbbVie. Originally a component of Abbott Laboratories, AbbVie split in 2013 to focus on new drug discovery, and Celso followed. Since then, Celso has been a part of many major therapeutic breakthroughs including the immunosuppressor Humira, and...

Graycen Wheeler is a 6 th year graduate student in BCHM's Liu Lab. She was initially attracted to CU Biochem by the strong web presence and diversity of research in the department’s labs. During graduate recruitment, “the interview process wasn’t nearly as anxiety-inducing and I felt natural interacting with grad...