Jennifer Wang, B.S.
After I graduated from Brandeis University, I wasn't really sure what to do with my degree in general biology. My exposure to scientific research was scattered across different labs and lab positions, which helped me translate what I knew in the classroom to the lab bench. While I didn't know if I wanted to do graduate school at the time, I did genuinely enjoy learning different techniques that could help answer different scientific questions. So, in pursuit of this interest, I joined Pascal Kaeser's lab at HMS as a research assistant/lab manager, where we studied the importance of active zone proteins in the nerve terminal and how they affect neurotransmission. In Dr. Kaeser's lab, I provided support for two postdocs in their research on the role of active zone proteins in fast dopamine release, and even collaborated with a graduate student in Dr. Thomas Blanpied's lab to research the role of active zone proteins in synaptic nanocolumn alignment. After a busy few years of taking courses, supporting graduate students and postdocs in their research projects, and managing a lab, I decided it was time for me to move on and take on a project of my own.
I started rotating in the Karatsoreos' lab in the fall of 2020 during the tail-end of COVID-19 quarantine. It was a tricky time, but I still enjoyed my rotation. Ilia's lab provided a nice balance of interesting techniques and diverse projects that have the potential to interconnect with each other through some exciting collaborations. Right now, my current project involves incorporating what I know about synaptic structure into the world of circadian rhythms, and whether or not circadian disruption in early life development can have specific long-lasting impacts on synapse formation, alignment, and communication. It's definitely an exciting avenue of research with possibilities!
In my free time, I enjoy cooking, creative writing, and being engrossed in fan theories about my favorite shows.