About SARAH CONNOLLY
I am a Professor of Microbiology at DePaul University, serving as Chair of the Department of Health Sciences with a joint appointment in the Department of Biological Sciences in the College of Science and Health.
My exposure to undergraduate research shaped my career. While pursuing my BS in Microbiology at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, I had the opportunity to study promutagens with Dr. Michael Plewa and viral movement proteins with Dr. Sandra Lazarowitz. I took part in undergraduate research programs that allowed me to map genes in the human genome project with Dr. Greg Lennon at Livermore National Lab and sequence a gene required for DNA replication with Dr. James Walker at the University of Texas at Austin. I hope to provide similarly meaningful and rewarding research experiences for my undergraduate and master’s students at DePaul.
I began studying herpesvirus entry into cells while pursuing my PhD with Dr. Gary Cohen and Dr. Roselyn Eisenberg at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Gary and Roz were outstanding committed mentors who provided (and continue to provide) incredible support and guidance. I returned to my hometown for a postdoctoral fellowship with Dr. Robert Lamb at Northwestern University in Evanston, studying paramyxovirus entry into cells. Investigating paramyxovirus protein interactions shaped my perspective on virus entry and taught me new laboratory approaches. Using these approaches, I returned to the herpesvirus entry field in a second postdoctoral fellowship with Dr. Richard Longnecker at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. I began studying the protein responsible for herpesvirus membrane fusion and I continued these studies when I joined the DePaul faculty in 2012. I have an ongoing and productive collaboration with Rich that is central to my research program. In addition, I have collaborated with Dr. John Buolamwini at Rosalind Franklin University.
I am incredibly fortunate to have trained with several outstanding mentors who supported my research, developed my scientific reasoning skills, and guided my career advancement. I aspire to provide the same comprehensive support for students in my research lab. I frequently recycle advice from my mentors and I use their approaches as models for my own. I believe that engaging students in research enriches their academic experience and helps them define their career goals.
Fun fact: I graduated from Lincoln Park High School, less than a mile from DePaul's Lincoln Park campus.
My exposure to undergraduate research shaped my career. While pursuing my BS in Microbiology at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, I had the opportunity to study promutagens with Dr. Michael Plewa and viral movement proteins with Dr. Sandra Lazarowitz. I took part in undergraduate research programs that allowed me to map genes in the human genome project with Dr. Greg Lennon at Livermore National Lab and sequence a gene required for DNA replication with Dr. James Walker at the University of Texas at Austin. I hope to provide similarly meaningful and rewarding research experiences for my undergraduate and master’s students at DePaul.
I began studying herpesvirus entry into cells while pursuing my PhD with Dr. Gary Cohen and Dr. Roselyn Eisenberg at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Gary and Roz were outstanding committed mentors who provided (and continue to provide) incredible support and guidance. I returned to my hometown for a postdoctoral fellowship with Dr. Robert Lamb at Northwestern University in Evanston, studying paramyxovirus entry into cells. Investigating paramyxovirus protein interactions shaped my perspective on virus entry and taught me new laboratory approaches. Using these approaches, I returned to the herpesvirus entry field in a second postdoctoral fellowship with Dr. Richard Longnecker at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. I began studying the protein responsible for herpesvirus membrane fusion and I continued these studies when I joined the DePaul faculty in 2012. I have an ongoing and productive collaboration with Rich that is central to my research program. In addition, I have collaborated with Dr. John Buolamwini at Rosalind Franklin University.
I am incredibly fortunate to have trained with several outstanding mentors who supported my research, developed my scientific reasoning skills, and guided my career advancement. I aspire to provide the same comprehensive support for students in my research lab. I frequently recycle advice from my mentors and I use their approaches as models for my own. I believe that engaging students in research enriches their academic experience and helps them define their career goals.
Fun fact: I graduated from Lincoln Park High School, less than a mile from DePaul's Lincoln Park campus.