Elizabeth Minor is a PhD student in the lab of Camille Ehre, PhD, who is an assistant professor at the UNC School of Medicine's Department of Microbiology and Immunology and the Marsico Lung Institute/UNC Cystic Fibrosis Center. In the lab, Minor studies in vivo asthma models and how they respond to viral challenges like SARS-CoV-2.
Q: What were your interests when young, and how did you get into biomedical science?
A: When I was a kid, I knew I wanted to be a scientist when I grew up, except I thought I'd be pursuing a career in marine biology. I was obsessed with aquariums and sea life when I was little, so that was my plan for years. In college, I discovered a new passion for molecular and cell biology, and so marine science just became a hobby for me via scuba diving.
Q: Why did you choose UNC and the lab you are in?
A: I took an incredible immunology and cancer immunotherapy class at the University of Virginia, where I completed my undergraduate degree. From that point on, I knew that I wanted to pursue immunology. I came to UNC for graduate school because the environment is very collaborative and curiosity-driven, and there are great opportunities given that UNC is part of the Research Triangle.
Q: What are you working on right now?
A: I have been in Dr. Camille Ehre's lab for almost a year, with my major project being in vivo asthma models with viral challenges like SARS-CoV-2. I am also involved with research involving viral challenge with cystic fibrosis, a major disease studied by the Marsico Lung Institute. Dr. Ehre's lab is a fun environment to do research in. She tailors her mentoring style to my future career aspirations, and cares about me as a person and a young scientist, pushing me to better every day.
Q: What inspires you the most about working in your field?
A: What inspires me most about studying lung immunology is that there is so much to learn, and it is a hot topic right now because of the COVID-19 pandemic. I value that the research I am doing could contribute to translational and clinical research down the road, and could have a real-world impact, so I am committed to doing rigorous, good science.
Q: What are your goals after earning your PhD?
A: I hope to go into industry after my PhD, ideally working for a pharmaceutical or biotechnology company doing cancer immunology research or drug development.