Gregory Specht Email & Phone Number

I had the great privilege of being in three different laboratory environments with very different objectives. During my undergraduate education, I was taught and trained in some of the basics of the molecular biology. During my undergraduate thesis project, where I generated a phylogenetic map illustrating the polymorphisms in mitochondrial DNA hailing from different sub-species of the California Newt, I learned the basics of running PCR, gel electrophoresis, and restriction enzyme digestion. While I was pursuing my masters degree at TU Dresden, I was exposed to a myriad of different molecular biological techniques including Western blotting, qPCR, fluorescent microscopy, the basics of Atomic Force Microscopy and more. My master’s thesis centered upon the development of a small-molecule based screen in the context of elucidating effectors of the developing zebrafish innate immune system. For this purpose, I learned zebrafish handling and husbandry, cryo-sectioning and histological staining of in tact tissue, and image analysis tools like Arrivis. I also learned valuable skills regarding data organization, the use of statistical and graphing software such as Graphpad, and time management. Perhaps the most valuable laboratory experience I’ve had, was my time at the Scripps Research Institute, where I participated in a team effort towards discovering and developing a set of pre-clinical candidates which trigger endogenous regenerative pathways within the lung. Over the past 2 years, I have solidified my molecular biological techniques via frequent performance of qPCR, ELISA, plasmid cloning, mammalian cell culture, mouse handling, dissection and processing, different scoring protocols for histological images and in vitro enzyme assays. Through this experience, I have also participated in an interdisciplinary team which has imbued me with a stronger sense of experimental design, and communication skills.