Shahrnaz Kemal, PhD

I am a postdoctoral research fellow at Northwestern University in the laboratory of Dr. Robert Vassar, where I study the role of Aβ in causing neuron degeneration and dysfunction in Alzheimer’s. My PhD research was done at Columbia University under the supervision of Dr. Richard Vallee, where I studied motor protein regulation during brain development. Prior to graduate school, I was a research assistant to Dr. Sanford Simon at The Rockefeller University, where I was involved in projects related to endocytosis and vesicle trafficking. I received my bachelor’s degree from Mt. Holyoke College, where I also carried out independent research on protein folding in the laboratory of Dr. Sean Decatur. I aim to utilize my background in structural biology, cell biology, and neuroscience to address research questions in AD. I also have an interest in science education and communication and plan to pursue an academic research career involving teaching.