Jade Coxon
Seeking a PhD in biological engineering
Lab Affiliation
Professor Timothy Whitehead
Whitehead Research Group
What does receiving an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship mean to you?
Receiving this award was such an honor. I feel like it perfectly encapsulates the growth I've had as a scientist in the past year, particularly in my ability to develop and write about scientific ideas and projects. I am excited to use my funding to carry on the research I've started on these past few months in the Whitehead lab.
Current research focus
My research focuses on designing and engineering proteins that can sense and respond to small molecules found in plant extracts. The idea is that these proteins could capture these small molecules more effectively than traditional chemical extraction processes, which are currently costly and low yield.
The small molecules that these proteins are trying to capture are used in many pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and even in foods and beverages that the average person uses. By simplifying the purification process for these molecules, we can potentially make these molecules more readily available, driving down costs for consumers.