Cathy Chen

With the myriad of resources available at CURF and through Penn, I had the opportunity to conduct research with Dr. Audrey Odom John at CHOP. Her lab studies the metabolism of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum in order to develop new diagnostics and identify novel antimalarial drug targets. Currently, my work at the lab focuses on the HAD2 enzyme and its role in maintaining metabolism homeostasis and facilitating drug resistance. I love working at the lab, not just for learning fascinating techniques like genome editing and malaria cell culturing, but also for the overall environment of a diverse group of people brought together by a shared passion for science.

Conducting research has been transformative towards my Penn experience and I'm excited to help fellow Penn students start on their journey to find a project or field of research they love! If you have questions about finding a lab, researching full-time over the summer or through work-study, or if you're not sure where to start with research at Penn, please don't hesitate to reach out!

• Research Assistant in the Odom John Lab (Division of Infectious Diseases, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, May 2021 - present)
• Summer Research Scholar (Awarded by the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society, May 2022)
• Frances Velays Fellow (Awarded by the Panaphil and Uphill Foundations, April 2022)
• Ruth Marcus Kanter College Alumni Society Undergraduate Research Grant Recipient (Awarded by the University of Pennsylvania, April 2022)
• Penn Undergraduate Research Mentorship (PURM) Mentee (University of Pennsylvania, May 2021)
• CURF Fall Research Expo (2021, 2022)