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Ashley M

- Research Program Mentor

PhD candidate at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Expertise

I am willing to mentor students in a wide range of medical sciences! My specific research focuses on immunology, neuroscience, infectious disease, autoimmune disease, and neurodegenerative diseases, but I've had exposure to many biomedical science topics!

Bio

Hi! My name is Ashley and I am close to completing a PhD at the University of Michigan. I study the role of the immune system in multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system. The goal of my project is to identify factors that cause immune cells to become protective against multiple sclerosis. I really enjoy mentoring students, especially those with the drive to work on a polygence project. There are a lot of skills that you can learn early on in your education that will set you up for a successful college and, if desired, graduate school experience! In my free time, I like to rock climb and do pottery! I also like to play video games like Horizon, Minecraft, and Fallout. I have a dog named Copernicus who is a Husky/German Shepard mix. He likes walks and belly rubs.

Project ideas

Project ideas are meant to help inspire student thinking about their own project. Students are in the driver seat of their research and are free to use any or none of the ideas shared by their mentors.

The role of the immune system in multiple sclerosis

This project would involve studying the role of different immune cells involved in the disease multiple sclerosis. Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease, which means the immune system is attacking the central nervous system because it thinks it is an invader. This project would involve identifying the types of immune cells involved in this attack against the central nervous system, and understanding the roles each of them play in either protecting or attacking the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerve.

Teaching experience

I have worked with 4 polygence students. Outside of polygence, I have previously tutored undergraduate and graduate students. I have also previously held a teaching assistant position for undergraduate classes.

Credentials

Education

Murray State University
BS Bachelor of Science (2017)
Biomedical Science
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
PhD Doctor of Philosophy candidate
Immunology

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