Awarded in 2018
Home Department: Chemistry
Faculty Advisors: Lucy Shapiro (Developmental Biology) and W.E. Moerner (Chemistry)

Research Title: Molecular Cinematography: Single-Molecule Imaging of Heterogeneous Protein Behaviors for Understanding Asymmetric Cell Division in Caulobacter crescentus

Research Description: Asymmetric cell division leads to cellular diversity in eukaryotic developmental programs, which is especially critical for stem cells. The process of generating different progeny requires dynamic positioning of certain proteins at opposite ends of a cell, but a particular subset of these proteins perform asymmetric functions despite being symmetrically organized in a cell. Jiarui will be combining molecular genetics, physical chemistry, and novel single-molecule imaging to quantify a particular protein, PopA, in the bacteria Caulobacter crescentus, to provide clarity and insight into the fundamental mechanisms that drive asymmetric cell division.

WHERE IS SHE NOW?

Jiarui is currently a clinical applications manager at Miltenyi Biotec.