Congratulations to Tigist Tamir, a third-year graduate student in the Major lab and T32 appointee, for receiving a Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Gilliam Fellowship to research cell-signaling mechanisms that could provide new targets for treating cancer,
Tig’s research is aimed at understanding how the protein kinase HIPK4 fits into the story of NRF2, a protein that has been associated with the progression of certain kinds of cancer.
Tig grew up in Ethiopia and moved to northern Virginia midway through high school. The opportunities Tig has found in the United States have included experience at the bench in a number of different labs and a variety of outreach efforts intended to promote diversity in the sciences.
To learn more about how Tig became interested in science, why she decided to come to UNC and what led her to pursue her current research, read about her in Vital Signs…
In addition to science, in her free time, Tig does Taekwondo. She went to nationals this year and got first place in sparring and second place in forms. Congratulations, Tig!