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Jackie Gamboa Highlight
[In my research] I am always trying things that don’t work. You learn to fail, embrace it, and then try again the next day.
About Jackie
- Was born and raised in Mexico.
- She is the first person in her family to go to college and feels that this has positively impacted younger members of her family and inspired them to pursue a college education.
- Prior to starting graduate school, she was chosen to be a roadtripper for Roadtrip Nation Season 10 in 2012—says this experience changed her outlook and provided a support structure for success.
- Inspired by her experience with Roadtrip Nation, she started a science podcast called <i>The Big Electron</i>, which has led to her getting more involved in leadership and advocacy roles in science.
- She served as the South Central Regional Chair at the University of Missouri for the National Association for Graduate-Professional Students (NAGPS).
- In the middle of her doctoral studies, she had unexpected health problems, including three surgeries, which almost forced her to sideline her research—a supportive advisor encouraged her to persist.
- Received her Ph.D. in chemistry in 2017—her research centered around genetics, specifically in the creation of DNA crosslinking agents to study DNA damage in aging and diabetic models.
- She now works as a postdoctoral fellow at both MIT and Harvard University where she continues her research into DNA damage.
