Lauren Gandy

I am a third year PhD candidate in the Chemistry & Chemical Biology Dept at Rensselaer. My research focuses on discerning the fundamental bioenergetics of the gastrointestinal microbe Bacteroides fragilis under the direction of Dr. Blanca Barquera. As a trainee on the NIA Alzheimer’s Disease Clinical and Translation Research Grant, I also study the impact of Alzheimer’s to the gastrointestinal microbiota and vitamin production/absorption.

I am honored to serve as the current Graduate Council President in addition to Graduate Senator. I previously served as Graduate Council Secretary and Graduate Senator from 2018 to 2019. Besides student government, I participate with the Rensselaer Younger Chemists Committee and the Eastern New York American Chemical Society chapters. Upon completion of my doctorate, I aim to work as a Forensic DNA Technologist and eventually run a state laboratory.

Prior to coming to Rensselaer, I graduated with honors in 2017 from the University of Central Florida with a B.S. in Forensic Biochemistry and a B.A. in French. During my time there, I conducted research on gunshot residue analysis at the National Center for Forensic Science and published an undergraduate thesis on the didactic representation of Enlightenment ideology in 17th and 18th century French science fiction.

In my free time, I like to take walks in one of upstate New York’s many parks, watch the latest show at Proctor’s, and enjoy a beer in downtown Troy.