Morgan Barkley

 

Hello, my name is Morgan Barkley. I was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. When I started as a biology major at Clark Atlanta University, I thought becoming a physician was the only way I could apply my scientific knowledge. However, I met my Microbiology professor and mentor, Dr. David Logan. He was the first person to introduce me to the research world and explain the importance of it. Participating in the microbiology wet lab, exposed me to scientific inquiry that sparked my curiosity for specific subjects. After the microbiology course, Dr. Logan continued to push me to pursue the research experience. Towards the end of my junior year, I applied to UGA Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Summer Program. I accepted the invitation for UGA REU program with the aim of gaining experience, conducting research and further develop my lab skills. I spent the summer working in Dr. David Garfinkel’s lab, which focuses on the mechanism of Ty1 element retrotransposition and copy number control (CNC) in the budding yeast Saccharomyces (S.cerevisiae). With his guidance I explored the prevalence and variation of CNC in six haploid derivatives of domesticated and wild S. cerevisiae strains from Africa, Asia, Europe and North America, as well as the S288c reference strain. This experience ignited my interest in research to thrive. A year later, I graduated from Clark Atlanta University with a Bachelor of Science degree and a handful of research experience. The next step would be graduate school. Before entering graduate school, I decided to apply to the PREP@UGA scholar post baccalaureate program because I wanted to gain more research experience and become prepared for the challenges of graduate school. While in PREP@UGA I decided to gain research experience in Dr. Jarrod Call’s lab. Working close with my mentors gave me a better understanding of atrophy in muscle fibers and how certain complexes in the mitochondria affect respiration rates. These experiences gave me the confidence to keep pursuing research. After completing the PREP@UGA program, I was accepted into Graduate Biomedical Sciences program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Currently, I am a PhD student in the Cell, Molecular & Developmental Biology theme. I recently just joined Dr. Andrew Pickering’s lab, which focuses on investigating the role of proteostasis in aging and neurodegenerative disease. My current project focuses on understanding the role of TXNIP and the influence it has on organism’s lifespan. Grad school is very challenging, but my past experiences have taught me how to embrace these challenges without fear.