By Arum Han
Professor Kendra Marcus joined the Amherst College faculty as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry this semester. She is currently teaching biochemistry (CHEM 331) and specializes in researching proteins through the lens of evolutionary and structural biology. The Amherst STEM Network had the opportunity to interview Professor Marcus about her work.
What inspired you to pursue a career in chemistry?
I think what I really loved about chemistry was that I kept asking questions that got smaller and smaller over time. When I was a kid, I used to turn over rocks, look at stuff that was crawling underneath, and just see what kind of life was under there. And then my questions got smaller and smaller as I grew older, and I started to realize [that] understanding how proteins and macromolecules move is a lot like turning over those rocks and seeing what’s under the hood.
Before coming to Amherst College, what did you do?
Before I came to Amherst College, I was a postdoctoral researcher, first at the University of California, Berkeley, with Professor John Kuriyan for about five years or so. Then, we relocated to Vanderbilt University because my boss had gotten a new job [there]. He became the dean of the medical school at that point, so we relocated with him, and I was there for the last year.
How would you explain your research to someone who knows nothing about the field?
I like to think about structural biology as looking at life’s blueprints and taking pictures of the really small stuff. So I’m, by trade, an X-ray crystallographer and a structural biologist. What that means is to think about how proteins look and how that influences how they move in the cell, move in life, and how those movements relate to biological phenomena. I think the other angle that I talk about most with non-specialists is that a lot of my work has relevance in cancer. I study signaling pathways in the cells that can cause cancer if they go wrong. I take pictures of proteins that go wrong in cancer and think about why these mutations change their function [and] their ability to signal. Hopefully, [this] leads to drug discovery for the big money stuff, but also a better understanding of how life adapts to challenges.
How was your experience working as a scientist at the National Cancer Institute?
Working as a scientist at the National Cancer Institute is really interesting because you get to see a perspective of how science is done [outside] an academic setting. And I think that’s very important for people to understand when they’re early in their career: there [are] lots of pathways that aren’t just being a professor. Working at the National Cancer Institute was a wonderful experience because I could see that there are labs that run for the sake of curing cancer and understanding how cancer works. It’s a really interesting perspective because when you’re in academia with teaching loads, grant loads, and stuff, [your attention] becomes very divided. But at the National Cancer Institute, it’s so streamlined because you get grants from the NIH internal grants, and it’s all federally funded. [Essentially,] you’re just taking from a set pool of money, and [if you ask] your employer (in this case, the NIH), “Hey, I have this really good idea. Can you give me money for it?” They most often will. And you can always collaborate with industry and academics, so it’s [like] a mesh of all these different ideas.
Where do you see the future of your research going?
The future of my research is to continue [studying] the interface of evolutionary biology and cancer biology. The way I see cancer is like this microcosm of evolution because if you look at evolution stripped away from all these different definitions, it’s just the fitness of an organism [that] is constantly evolving. [This] can be said about a cancer cell as well [by] thinking about how proteins change over time and how that relates to their function. [Currently], I’m directing the work that I have here towards that end. I have two thesis students who are doing great and three juniors who are training with the seniors right now, and we’re all very excited to push the boundaries of structural biology.
What excites you the most about research in proteins?
I like seeing stuff that people haven’t seen before. I like seeing a new thing that people don’t believe can exist and seeing that evidence with my own eyes—it’s a very exciting feeling. I think it’s a feeling shared by most scientists. There’s a weird sense of calm and excitement when you make a discovery, and the only people who know are you and maybe a couple other people. It’s a very special feeling.
Is there anything else you would like to share about yourself?
I am very excited to be here! I’m super thrilled to talk to anybody about biochemistry, and I’m always open to talking about career resources. I’m always excited to talk about research in any shape and form, [and] I’m just really happy to be here.
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