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ben roberts 2021 PhD graduate
Ben Roberts PhD

Ben Roberts, under the direction of Dr. Saskia Neher, successfully defended his dissertation on April 2nd, 2021 and received his PhD. The title of his dissertation is “THE MOLECULAR REGULATION OF LIPOPROTEIN LIPASE TRAFFICKING.”

Ben received his B.S. in biochemistry and molecular biology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2014. He began to conduct scientific research in the lab of Dr. Dong Wang where he studied nitrogen fixation in the model organisms M. truncatula. After completing his B.S., Ben temporarily worked as a laboratory technician at the University of Massachusetts Lowell in the lab of Dr. Jennifer Fish studying developmental biology before coming to UNC.

Ben joined the Biochemistry and Biophysics department in 2016 in the biochemistry track. His work has centered around understanding the regulation of lipoprotein lipase (LPL) biosynthesis and export in tissues where it is made. One of his projects examined the role of a lipase chaperone in the biosynthesis of LPL in cells. His second focus was the insulin dependent regulation of LPL trafficking in adipocytes.

During his time at UNC, Ben served in The Graduate and Professional Student Federation as a departmental senator and the Federation secretary. Ben also served as the Vice President and President of the UNC Science Policy Advocacy Group.

After completing his PhD, Ben will complete a Post-Doc in the D.C. area and eventually plans to move into scientific policy.

Ben wants to thank the friends and mentors who have supported him throughout his degree.