Jennifer M. Potter-Birriel, under the direction of Dr. Bill Marzluff, successfully defended her dissertation and received her Ph.D. in Genetics and Molecular Biology on June 3rd, 2020. The title of her dissertation is “A region of Drosophila SLBP distinct from the histone pre-mRNA binding and processing domains is essential for deposition of histone mRNA in the oocyte.”
Jennifer did her undergraduate work in Puerto Rico at Universidad del Este. During her predoctoral studies, Jennifer’s research focused on understanding how histone mRNAs are regulated in Drosophila melanogaster. During her time at UNC she attended multiple conferences locally and out of state. She was also awarded with a NIH Diversity Supplement. After UNC, Jennifer plans to work in industry as a research scientist.