Krystle McLaughlin is a Caribbean-American structural biophysicist. She is an assistant professor of chemistry at

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely follo ...

Early life and education

McLaughlin grew up in Tobago, where she met Joan and Jay Mandle, professors at

Colgate University Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York. The college was founded in 1819 as the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York and operated under that name until 1823, when it was renamed Hamilton Theologi ...

, who encouraged her to apply. She studied physics at

, graduating in 2006. She was the only woman of colour in her graduating physics class. At

she was a leader of the Society of Physics Students. She has since returned to

, to speak at their annual ''SophoMORE Connections'' event, introducing undergraduate students to alumni. In 2006 she joined Clara Kielkopf's laboratory at the

University of Rochester The University of Rochester (U of R, UR, or U of Rochester) is a private research university in Rochester, New York. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The University of Roc ...

. She was awarded the

William F. Neuman and George Metzger Awards. During her graduate studies she was a guest lecturer at

Hampton University Hampton University is a private, historically black, research university in Hampton, Virginia. Founded in 1868 as Hampton Agricultural and Industrial School, it was established by Black and White leaders of the American Missionary Association af ...

. Her thesis used

X-ray crystallography X-ray crystallography is the experimental science determining the atomic and molecular structure of a crystal, in which the crystalline structure causes a beam of incident X-rays to diffract into many specific directions. By measuring the angles ...

to study thermodynamic and structural basis for protein-nucleic acid interactions, and she successfully defended it in 2011.

Research and career

McLaughlin joined

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

as a postdoctoral researcher, funded by a Seeding Postdoctoral Innovators in Research and Education (SPIRE) fellowship. She characterised proteins responsible for the transfer of antibiotic resistance and virulence in bacterial cells, as well as teaching the biology program. She was appointed a professor of practice at Lehigh University, where she started the PA DNA Day, a now annual celebration of DNA and genetics. She was in Paris during the

November 2015 Paris attacks The November 2015 Paris attacks () were a series of coordinated Islamist terrorist attacks that took place on Friday, 13 November 2015 in Paris, France, and the city's northern suburb, Saint-Denis. Beginning at 9:15p.m., three suicide bombers ...

. At Lehigh University she developed innovative ways to teach undergraduates how to interpret crystallography. She uses lysozyme to teach students about molecular modelling and crystallisation. She has campaigned for a Synchrotron light source in South Africa. She joined

in 2017 as an assistant professor in chemistry. Here her lab focus on the spread of antibiotic resistance, the gut microbiome and biochemistry of mycobacteriophages. She takes part in science outreach activities. McLaughlin is the 2018 chair of the American Institute of Physics Liaison Committee on Underrepresented Minorities. She was elected to the American Crystallographic Association communication committees.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McLaughlin, Krystle American biophysicists Vassar College faculty University of Rochester alumni Colgate University alumni People from Tobago Women biophysicists Living people Trinidad and Tobago emigrants to the United States 21st-century American scientists 21st-century American women scientists Scientists from New York (state) Year of birth missing (living people) Trinidad and Tobago scientists American women academics