Join us in welcoming Dr. Arden Perkins, NIDDK Postdoctoral Fellow, as he shares his graduate school experience and recent research developments.

Part I: How to launch your career in research from SOU

Grad school: Dr. Perkins will discuss opportunities to continue in science by earning your PhD at the University of Oregon Biology Graduate program. He will discuss the application process, how to be a stand-out candidate, and the experience of grad school.

Part II: A human stomach pathogen is attracted to bleach.

Research: Dr. Perkins will also give a sampling of his own work at University of Oregon studying the causative agent of stomach cancer. Stomach cancer kills 700,000 people worldwide every year, and has been linked to infection by the bacterial pathogen Helicobacter pylori. This bacterium uses a sophisticated system of protein receptors to sense chemicals in its environment and swim to parts of the stomach that are favorable for infection. At University of Oregon, Dr. Perkins dissected how this system works and made the surprising discovery that H. pylori senses bleach as an attractant.

Dr. Arden Perkins graduated in 2009 from Eastern Oregon University with a B.S. in Biology, and completed his PhD is Biochemistry & Biophysics at Oregon State University. Arden is now a National Institutes of Diabetes, Digestive, & Kidney Diseases Postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon and will be starting his own independent research group in the next few years. His research focuses on inventing new therapies and antibiotics to inhibit key proteins from bacterial pathogens.

When: Friday, November 8th, 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm

Where: Science Building Auditorium, Room 151

This is a free event and open to the public. Please visit our website to learn more about our future lecture series topics. Light refreshments provided by the STEM Division.