Sullivan-Brown Lab
My background
Dr. Jessica Sullivan Brown
I love teaching biology to our students at West Chester University. I am fortunate and grateful to go to work and do my passion every day. This page speaks to my scientific journey from an undergraduate to Associate Professor. I think it's important for students that are considering careers in science to see the paths that others have taken.
So, this is My Science Journey and is also a sincere THANK YOU to all of my mentors that have developed, challenged, and trusted me along the way!
Undergrad Biology: James Madison University, Herrick Lab
1996-2000
My first independent research was with Dr. James Herrick when I was an undergraduate at JMU. I knew I wanted to try research but had no idea where to begin, so I just knocked on professors' doors and I was extremely lucky that Dr. Herrick had just started up his lab and needed some help. His research focused on horizontal gene transfer of antibiotic resistance genes. I got to use a PCR machine which was relatively new at the time! Although my experiments typically didn't work, Dr. Herrick was always supportive. His passion for science was contagious and definitely help set the foundation for my career!
Lab Technician: University of Pennsylvania, Silberg Lab
2000-2003
While an undergraduate at JMU, I took a class in which I wrote a literature review about a topic of my choosing. I wrote about TNF-B and Type II Diabetes. I became immersed in the literature and it was one of the first times I realized that science was a super active field and that there were so many unanswered questions. Email was also relatively new at the time and I thought it would be fun to email a question to one of the lead scientists on a paper. My email led to a job interview, resulting in a position in Dr. Debra Silberg's lab. Working full time in an active research environment was such an exciting time and Dr. Silberg offered me such wonderful mentorship as I decided between a career in medicine or research. As I became more involved in my research project, studying RNA expression in Barrett’s Esophagus, I knew I wanted to focus on a career in the field of Molecular Biology.
PhD Molecular Biology: Princeton University, Burdine Lab
2003-2008
In graduate school, students often do rotations in which you spend ~3months in different research labs to see which lab environment and research question is the best fit. I'll never forget the first time I watched the beating heart of a zebrafish embryo in Dr. Becky Burdine's lab. I was completely hooked on studying Developmental Biology! My graduate project focused on studying the connections between kidney cyst development and left-right patterning defects, which we discovered were caused by ciliary (tiny hair-like projections on cells) defects. I am so grateful to my PhD advisor, Becky, for opening so many doors for my success including bringing me to conferences and introducing me to leaders in the field, for encouraging me to register for international workshops, teaching me grant writing and mentoring me in the both scientific process and science communication.
Post Doc: University of North Carolina, Goldstein Lab
2009-2014
When I was pursuing my Post-Doc, I was very pregnant. :) Thus, it became important to find a lab that would be supportive of me and my growing family as well as my research interests. I was fortunate to have interviews with three advisors that each expressed a sincere interest in work-life balance. I was very interested in gaining a stronger understanding of cell biology and cell biological techniques and I was excited to pursue these types of questions in the lab of Dr. Bob Goldstein. My research in his lab focused on using both the roundworm C. elegans and the frog Xenopus as model systems to identify conserved regulators of an important cell shape change known as apical constriction. I hope to model Bob’s approach to mentorship and science. He is the most kind, creative and ingenious person I have had the privilege of working for. Importantly, he allowed me to pursue my career goals in lab, which involved finding teaching opportunities in preparation for research/teaching positions like I have now!