Lydia Ruffner
Graduate Student (Ph.D. Candidate)
Undergraduate Institution
Spelman College, Atlanta GA (2010-2014)
B.S. Biochemistry, Mathematics Minor
Research Interests
DNA Damage tolerance, Enzyme Catalysis, Superfamily and Structural Genomics Research
Personal Interests
Reading, sports, shopping, video games, and spending time with my family.
How did you get interested in science?
My high school chemistry teacher (Mr. Demma) did crazy experiments to get our attention in our Honors Chemistry Class and I was hooked to chemistry ever since.
What are your future career goals?
Work at a cancer research institute such as National Cancer Institute, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Broad Institute, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, etc.
Conference Presentations
During Undergraduate (Spelman College)
- 2014 – Spelman College Research Day (2 Posters, 1 Oral)
- 2013 – ACS Herty Conference (Georgia Section), Atlanta, GA (Poster)
- 2013 – Royal Veterinary College – Arcadia University Summer Research Symposium, London, UK (Oral)
- 2013 – Spelman College Research Day (2 Posters)
- 2013 – Spring ACS National Meeting, New Orleans, LA (Poster)
- 2012 – Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students, San Jose, CA (Poster)
- 2012 – Boston University School of Medicine Summer Research Symposium, Boston, MA (Oral)
- 2012 – Spelman College Research Day (Poster)
Awards
During Undergraduate (Spelman College)
- Research Initiation Award 2013-14
- ASPIRE Researchers’ Program Award 2013-14
- Spelman College Research Day 2013 (1st Place Chemistry Poster)
- Spelman College Research Day 2012 (1st Place Chemistry Poster)
- Spelman College Dewitt Dean’s Tuition Scholarship (August 2010 – May 2014)