March 2024 

I'm delighted to announce that my thesis defense is scheduled for Wednesday, May 22nd! I'm really looking forward to sharing my work and defending my dissertation, which focuses on redox-active enzymes implicated in lipid metabolism. My defense will be hosted by the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. If you are interested in viewing the public seminar, please let me know and I can share a Zoom link. 

January 2024 

I'm happy to share that two exciting scientific stories from my thesis work are now available to read online! 

COQ4 is required for the oxidative decarboxylation of the C1 carbon of coenzyme Q in eukaryotic cells  (Molecular Cell) includes some of my work clarifying the role of COQ4 in coenzyme Q biosynthesis. This work identifies COQ4 as the enzyme responsible for the decarboxylation and hydroxylation of CoQ headgroup precursors, completing our understanding of the primary enzymes responsible for each step of the conversion from 4-hydroxybenzoate to the final CoQ headgroup. 

ACAD10 and ACAD11 enable mammalian 4- hydroxy acid lipid catabolism  is now available as a pre-print in BioRXiv and focuses on a co-led project between me and my groupmate Eddie Rashan. Through this work, we study the metabolic processing of 4-hydroxylated fatty acids and identify the two acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (ACAD) enzymes responsible for introducing these substrates into fatty acid oxidation. My structural and functional studies of ACAD10 and ACAD11 provide a basis for understanding their substrate specificity and the other functionally-important ways they differ from other known ACAD family members.

September 2023 

Super excited to share my work as an invited speaker at WUSTL's Biochemistry, Biophysics and Structural Biology retreat this year! The retreat was held on September 14th at the Pere Marquette Lodge in Grafton, Illinois. We all enjoyed a wonderful day of presentations, posters, great refreshments, and getting outdoors for some hiking and fresh air.  The weather was absolutely perfect. Loved the pink T-shirts, too! Thanks to the organizers for the invitation!

June 2023 

The Pagliarini lab had another great outing at the UMDF's Energy for Life Walk and 5K! I was so excited to help organize this race and event for all the awesome mito families in and around St. Louis... and for the second year, everything went off without a hitch! 😉 This year, our lab team raised $550 dollars and Rachel Guerra, a postdoc in our group, got third place for the women's division in the 5K. Looking forward to more UMDF events in the future!! 

September 2022  

I was honored to present my work as a poster at the WashU Cell Biology and Physiology retreat! This joint retreat was fantastic because not only was it a chance to catch up with friends and colleagues in the department, but also to meet incoming graduate students in the MCP program. It was super cool to show my latest findings to the students, as well as give them some support and guidance for their transition to grad school.  

August 2022  

The UW-Madison Teaching Academy's yearly retreat will be held as a combination virtual and in-person event this year. The Teaching Academy hosts regular seminars, classes, and workshops centered on teaching strategies, current pedagogy, and how to be an effective TA. The retreat is a great chance for grad students and postdocs to engage with teaching at a deeper level. 

Any UW-Madison friends who are thinking of attending the retreat, which will be be held on September 30th from 9am-11am, can register at this link to receive info for the Zoom! You must log in with your UW info to register for the meeting. 

June 2022  

The Energy for Life Walk and 5K was fantastic! It was incredible to be involved in planning and carrying out this event. This year,  my labmates and I raised over $500 to contribute to the UMDF. On the day-of, we got to enjoy a beautiful day in Tower Grove Park and meet mito families from the St. Louis area! I'm so glad to be able to be part of this event and am already looking forward to next year.

April 2022  

It's that time again... I'm excited to join the UMDF's planning committee for the St. Louis 2022 Energy for Life Walk & 5K this year as the 5K race coordinator! My fingers are crossed for beautiful (not too hot? hopefully) weather on the day of the event, which will be June 18th. If you're looking for a 5K to run this summer, or just to get out and support the fantastic mito community in StL, consider joining us for the run or walk. Check out the event website for all the details!  

September 2021  

Excited to announce that my submission for the Cell Biology and Physiology Logo Design contest here at WashU was chosen for this year's  department T-shirts! I love to dabble in graphic design, so it was super fun to put together an entry for this contest. 

June 2021  

I am proud to organize and promote the Pagliarini Lab's participation in the virtual St. Louis Energy for Life Walk and 5K sponsored by the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation (UMDF)! This year, we raised nearly $300 to contribute to the UMDF and had 8 lab members and affiliates participate. 

Energy for Life walks are held throughout the year in various cities across the US. To find a walk in your area or to learn more about the mitochondrial disease awareness and advocacy at UMDF, check out this link.