One of my favorite things about science is that there are always surprises, always things that we assume work one way or mean one thing, until we find that they don’t.
Kate Meyer, PhD, is an assistant professor of biochemistry at Duke University School of Medicine. She holds secondary appointments as an assistant professor of cell biology and an assistant professor in neurobiology. She studies RNA biology and the epitranscriptome (the collection of chemical changes to RNA within a cell). In 2024, her laboratory unveiled a breakthrough genetic sensor that shines a light on critical changes in our genetic material.
What inspired you to pursue science as a career? Was there a specific person or experience that sent you down this path?
I was always drawn to a career path that involved helping people. In college, I was initially on the pre-med track, but then I took a class that taught us about all the crazy things that happen when the brain does not work right, and I was absolutely enthralled. I changed my major to neuroscience, and one of the requirements of the major was to spend time conducting undergraduate research. I started working in a neuroscience lab and instantly fell in love with scientific research. From there, I went on to get my PhD in neuroscience and then did postdoctoral work in biochemistry.
Has there been a finding or development in your research that has surprised you recently? Tell me a bit about what that was and why it was surprising.
One of my favorite things about science is that there are always surprises, always things that we assume work one way or mean one thing, until we find that they don’t. I think the biggest surprise of my career so far has been the discovery that chemical modifications are widespread in cellular mRNAs. There were hints from studies done in the 1970s that this may be the case, but it wasn’t until just recently that we realized how pervasive these modifications are and what they do, and this discovery has now spawned an entirely new field of RNA biology.
What advice would you give to young people aspiring to enter the field of science?
Follow your passion and don’t be afraid to explore areas that are unfamiliar to you.