Emily Hughes


Emily Hughes
  • 2020 Beckman Scholar
  • Pursuing MD at University of Kansas School of Medicine (Starting fall 2023)

Biography

Emily Hughes is from Leawood, Kansas, where she attended Blue Valley North High School. Emily’s inspiration to pursue research was driven by her passion for understanding more about infectious diseases. She began her undergraduate research in the lab of Dr. P. Scott Hefty. The lab focuses on understanding basic chlamydial biology and pathogenesis. Her project involved using CRISPRi to perform conditional gene knockouts in Chlamydia. This system allows for controlled repression of a gene product and analysis of biological processes. Emily graduated from KU in May 2022 with a BS in microbiology with a minor in Spanish. Emily aspires to study infectious diseases at the Centers for Disease Control in the future.

Education

B.S. in Microbiology, University of Kansas, 2022, Lawrence, KS
University Honors, Departmental Honors

Selected Publications

Wickstrom, J., Mandelbaum F., Hughes E., Hefty P.S. In analysis of Sigma 28 regulon reveals new gene targets. (MS in preparation)

Selected Presentations

Hughes, E.; Hefty, P.S. "RSB regulatory system controls growth and formation of infectious Chlamydia" Undergraduate Biology Honors Symposium, May 7, 2022, University of Kansas (talk).

Hughes, E.; Hefty, P.S. "RSB regulatory system controls growth and formation of infectious Chlamydia" 20th Annual Kansas-IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence Symposium. January 2022 (poster)

Hughes, E.; Hefty, P.S. "RSB regulatory system controls growth and formation of infectious Chlamydia" Great Plains Infectious Disease meeting, November 2021, Columbia, MO (lightning talk).

Hughes, E.; Baid, S. and Hefty, P.S. “Overexpression of RsbW in Chlamydia had limited growth defects” Beckman Symposium, August 2021 (Poster; Virtual)

Hughes, E; Baid, S. and Hefty, P.S. CRISPRi for Conditional Gene Knockouts in Chlamydia. 19th Annual Kansas-IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence Symposium. January 2021 (poster)

Awards & Honors

Graduated with University Honors and Departmental Honors

2022

K-INBRE Scholarship

2021

K-INBRE Scholarship

2020

Honorable Mention for poster presentation at the 19th Annual K-INBRE symposium