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.
ASBMB Advocacy Training Program Delegate (2023)
NVIDIA GPU Award Best Poster Finalist, ACS Spring 2023
Merck Award for Outstanding Chemists of Color (2022)
Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant (2022)
2nd place presentation, Physical Chemistry section, ACS DFW MiM (2022)
Mills, K.R., and Torabifard, H. "Uncovering the Mechanism of the Proton-Coupled Fluoride Transport in the CLCF Antiporter", J Chem Inf Model, 2023, In Press Link
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 Link
*This article is part of the themed collections: Analytical methods in chemical biology and RSC Chemical Biology Editors' Choice