Patricia Schneider, who earned her Ph.D. in genetics in May 2010, is seeking to provide insight into the genetic recipe that promotes our early development. In her research on early development, she uses fish and frogs to focus on genes important for providing positional cues that allow us to define up and down, front and back, left and right.

“Despite the obvious differences between frogs, fish, and humans, we find that many aspects of early development, including the genes utilized to orchestrate it, are shared,” Schneider said.

Schneider currently is working as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Chicago.

“I can say with conviction that the excellent mentoring I received at The University of Iowa exceeded all my expectations, providing me with an academic experience of the highest quality,” Schneider said.