Cierra Gladfelter

My name is Cierra Gladfelter and I am from Colorado.

I graduated from Colorado School of Mines with a B.S. in biochemistry. Ever since early high school, I knew I had a passion for the biosciences and wanted to pursue future career in that field. I was able to join PREP@UGA right after my graduation from Mines, leading to a seamless transition from undergraduate to postbaccalaureate. Being a part of PREP@UGA has given me the opportunity to be more involved in specialized research in the infectious disease field and really helped to refine my skills and confidence in pursuing a biosciences PhD. During my year in PREP, I joined the Kyle lab in the Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases (CTEGD) at the University of Georgia which is a parasitology lab focused on Plasmodium and Naegleria fowleri research. My research project consisted of investigating the Kelch13 propeller domain (pfk13) and the Plasmodium falciparum chloroquine transporter gene (PfCRT) from Plasmodium falciparum isolates collected during the 1990s from South America and Southeast Asia in search of resistance-conferring polymorphisms that may have evolved before the widespread use of anti-malarial drugs artemisinin and its partner drug piperaquine through artemisinin combination therapies (ACTs). Being able to work in a parasitology-based infectious disease lab for my PREP experience has solidified my decision in pursuing a PhD in the infectious disease field and a future research-heavy career and has prepared me fully for starting graduate school in the fall! After the PREP@UGA program, I will be starting in the Integrated Life Sciences (ILS) PhD program at the University of Georgia.