Sandra Vergara

My name is Sandra and I was born and raised in beautiful Colombia (note spelling, please). I came to the US several years ago just to learn English, but I liked it so much that I decided to stay in sunny Florida to attend college. I enrolled at Santa Fe Community College in Gainesville and then I transferred to the University of Florida (Go Gators!) where I obtained my degree in Microbiology and Cell Science.

While at UF, I worked with Dr. Ming Lu studying the mechanisms of yeast Vacuolar H+-ATPase function, transport and regulation. Shortly after graduation, I joined the lab of Dr. Shannon Holliday where I also worked on the yeast V-ATPase, but on its relationship with the cytoskeleton. I left sunny Florida and came to North Carolina following the smell of good NC BBQ, and I joined the UPGG program in the fall of 2004. I am carrying out my dissertation research in the laboratory of Dr. Dennis J. Thiele in the Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology. My research seeks to understand the molecular mechanisms by which the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae adapts to conditions of iron limitation to meet cellular metabolic demands.

The UPGG caught my attention for its flexibility in the curriculum and for its wide variety of research areas. Now that I am here, I am also enjoying of the friendly environment at Duke. From the administrative staff to grad students to professors, everybody is always very helpful and cordial. Needless to say, I am absolutely convinced that Duke and the Genetics program were the perfect choice for me.

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