Ph.D. Candidate using Molecular Dynamics simulations to study the structure, function, and mechanism of proteins. Passionate about science communication, mental health, and making higher education more accessible to all communities.
Advisor: Dr. Hedieh Torabifard 2021-present
Dr. Steven Nielsen 2018-2021
Research Interests: Computational Chemistry, specifically the use of MD simulations to study protein mechanisms.
Advisor:Dr. Bukuo Ni
Research Interests: Organic synthesis, specifically the use of a diarylpyrolinol silyl ether derivative as an organocatalyst for asymmetric cycloadditions.
I set up the organizational infrastructure, found, and applied for funding for a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping underprivileged students from around the world gain experience and mentorship in scientific research.
I plan and organize events and seminars dedicated to helping new graduate students acclimate to the program and work with administration to improve both the working and personal lives of graduate students.
Courses: Computational, Physical, & General Chemistry
I aid student comprehension of concepts via once weekly lectures and office hours. I've also worked with senior lecturers to revise course schedules to ensure all students are adequately prepared, regardless of previous education or experience.
The McNair Scholar program is a federally funded program to assist first-generation, low-income, and underrepresented students prepare for graduate studies or other post-baccaleurette programs. By being a Scholar, I performed a 10-week undergraduate research project under the guidance of Dr. Bukuo Ni, focusing on organic synthesis. I also had the opportunity to present my work at multiple conferences, both orally and in poster-form.
Merck Award for Outstanding Chemists of Color (2022)
Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant (2022)
Mills, K.R., and Torabifard, H. "Uncovering the Mechanism of the Proton-Coupled Fluoride Transport in the CLCF Antiporter", Under Review
Mills, K.R., Baglia, R.A., Mitra, K., Tutol, J.N., Ball, D., Page, K.M., Kallu, J., Gottipolu, S., D'Arcy, S., Nielsen, S.O., and Dodani, S.C.. "An activity-based fluorescent sensor for the detection of the phenol sulfotransferase SULT1A1 in living cells", RSC Chem. Biol., 2021, 2, 830-834
My first goal every semester is to create an inclusive environment so every student feels comfortable, regardless of age, race, ethnicity, nationality, sex, gender identity, sexuality, or disability. It is an unfortunate fact that higher education, and chemistry specifically, suffer from the ‘leaky pipeline’, in which people from underrepresented backgrounds are pushed out of the field, be it from discomfort, harassment, isolation, or more harmful policies. Growing up as a queer person of color, and being the first in my family to go to college, studying science didn’t seem possible until a few professors reached out and showed their confidence in me. Now, I want to continue the process for my students every chance I get. There has been plenty of research showing the importance of inclusivity and comfort of students in their academic performance. To achieve this, I have attended workshops and trainings in inclusivity to improve my own understanding of different backgrounds and perspectives. In the classroom, this takes multiple forms; on a “simpler” level, beginning every semester by introducing myself, including my own background and identities and my preferred name and pronouns. In this way, I hope students recognize not only my own intersectionality, but also that I am comfortable talking about these things and that they can be comfortable talking to me about them. Additionally, by surveying students early on, I can determine what they need from me to give them the best chance possible at succeeding in the class, and when providing additional resources (i.e. online readings or videos) I can ensure they come from a diverse group of creators who probe the material in different ways and at different starting levels of understanding. And lastly, asking for feedback regularly, and updating my practices accordingly, to show I recognize that every group of students is unique and I cannot use the same methods and material every semester.
Through improving feelings of inclusivity in the classroom, and with additional practices, I also hope to improve student engagement in lectures and in-class activities. It’s well known how important student involvement is in their own learning and in their comfort on a university campus. To this end, I have and will continue to provide students multiple ways to engage with the me, the material, and each other. While the “ideal” scenario would be for all students to attend every class and actively participate every time, there are many reasons why they might not be able to: outside responsibilities keeping them away, personal health struggles, needing additional time to process material before being comfortable with it, or even just discomfort and anxieties about in-class participation. Because of this, all lecture notes are made available virtually, before the class starts so students can review it ahead of time and prepare any questions they have. Also streaming and recording every class section, with captions and transcripts available, so any student who cannot physically be in the classroom can still have the same experience, and can send messages in real time if needed. And lastly, office hours are greatly encouraged, and always flexible in days, times, and modalities to reach every student possible.
My final goal in teaching, especially at the university level, is for every student to feel like they gained something useful out of the class. Most of them probably won’t need to remember the equations for calculating enthalpy or reaction kinetics after they finish their degrees, and that inevitably leads to questions of why they’re learning it now, or why this class is necessary for them to take. Because of this, I believe it’s always important to remind students of the bigger picture takeaways. Showing them that by completing the assignments they’re also learning skills in problem solving, time management, and the ability to communicate complex concepts in a way that their fellow classmates and us as instructors will understand, among others. Encouraging students to talk about the class to non-chemistry friends and family I believe really helps them grasp this idea, as they have to not only explain the concepts themselves, but relate it to the outside world in order to prove its importance. Additionally, in future classes I lead, I plan to always incorporate at least one project in which they take an issue facing the world today, and relate it back to the concepts we are studying in class.
My primary role in this course was to supervise and assist students as they performed weekly chemistry experiments. This included preparing for the lab each week in the form of ensuring necessary supplies were provided, and aiding the Instructor of Record in the preceding workshop where we guided the students through the concepts that would be covered during the experiment and had them complete relevant sample calculations. I was responsible for grading each students workshop calculations and lab reports each week, and hosted office hours to assist them as needed. Additionally, after noticing students were struggling with portions of the lab reports that required Excel, I began to offer an additional evening or weekend workshop to cover the basic functions and ensure all students were comfortable with the program.
My role in this course was to assist the Instructor as needed with preparing exams or other course materials. I additionally set up a weekly open review session, where students could drop by and ask for help as they studied or worked through the homework. For these sessions I would prepare worksheets with sample problems that I could work through with them, and I’d provide a brief review lecture if needed.
As the graduate teaching assistant, I hosted once weekly review sessions, with the primary goal of assisting the students with their homework assignments. However, as the concepts covered in these courses can be quite dense, I incorporated a brief (30-40 minute) lecture covering any relevant topics, before going through the homework problems and assisting them with the math involved in solving each. Additionally, I graded all homework assignments, assisted in grading the midterm exams, and hosted weekly office hours.
My role in this course is to assist students with the practical knowledge needed to carry out computational chemistry calculations, as most of them are inexperienced in this field. Once weekly, I meet with the students and review the material covered in the main lecture before leading them through the softwares and techniques necessary for their homework assignments and final project. As the semester progresses and they begin working on the larger research project, I will also assist in the proposal, experimental design, data collection, and final presentation, as needed.