Melissa Dyer, Ph.D. Email & Phone Number

Salt Lake City, Utah, US

Mason, OH, US

Virginia State University, VA, US

• Establish and maintain relationships with research faculty to move collaborative project forward, train students, and generate support of internal stakeholders
• Engage 200+ undergraduate students each semester in 7 different biology courses to deliver disease state education in anatomy and physiology and teach effective interpretation and analysis of clinical and scientific.
• Manage and monitor progress of interdisciplinary research projects exploring the benefits of berry extracts on inflammation and cancer progression
• Provide key guidance and mentorship to multiple students for career planning, class scheduling, time management, and conflict resolution
• Offer recommendations and input to Virginia Graduate Research Initiative Planning Committee, to promote visibility of the VSU Graduate Program and plan the 2020 Graduate Research Symposium

Virginia State University, VA, US

• Successfully maximized $1000+ in residual departmental funds to establish a laboratory and develop protocols in compliance with biomedical research SOPs
• Interacted with TBI key opinion leaders at the 9th Annual Traumatic Brain Injury Conference to discuss research-based clinical advancements
• Facilitated research initiative of novel educational program (NSF grant >$1M), supporting colleagues by executing short and long-term strategic plans
• Provided timely and constructive feedback to students, and quickly responded to communication queries from colleagues with proper resolution
• Served as scientific subject matter expert to evaluate and critique student research posters and oral presentations for graduate and undergraduate symposia
• Effectively taught up to 8 sections of introductory biology lecture and laboratory classes per semester

Richmond, Virginia, US

• Critically evaluated and interpreted scientific and clinical data, and participated in informative subject matter discussions with colleagues and key opinion leaders
• Develop and conduct multiple biochemical experiments to assess efficacy of a novel anti-inflammatory compound targeting TBI and Alzheimer’s disease
• Trained and mentored PhD candidates, MD/PhD students, and undergraduate interns in compliant use and troubleshooting of industry products and equipment
• Increased productivity and reduced assay completion time 70% by optimizing a rapid protein analysis system and advanced imaging equipment

Richmond, VA, US

• PhD Candidate (Neurology)
• Introduced novel project exploring neuroplasticity after TBI, increasing departmental revenue $100K to facilitate progress of $1M in grants, and resulting in 2 publications in Neuroscience and Journal of Neurotrauma
• Participated in competitive NIH Clinical and Translational Research Course to acquire knowledge of clinical trial organization and drug development procedures
• Excelled in presenting scientific information at 6 local and national neuroscience conferences, winning several awards for articulate demonstration of knowledge
• Attended Neurology and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Grand Rounds, gaining insight on strategic approaches in critical patient populations
• Served as liaison, relaying pertinent information between Neuroscience graduate students and the Central Virginia Chapter of the Society for Neuroscience (elected position)

• Developed course for incoming freshmen planning to pursue health careers, whose high school education in STEM fields may have been limited
• Created original pre- and post-course assessments, lectures, exams, and study activities
• Provided study tips and resources for students seeking assistance with difficult material

Bethesda, Maryland, US

Awarded $100,000 2 year National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Diversity Supplement for parent grant “Extracellular Matrix Mediators of Reactive Synaptogenesis after Traumatic Brain Injury”.

Presented poster for abstract submitted: Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 Interaction with Extracellular Matrix Proteins Mediates Reactive Synaptogenesis in the Olfactory Bulb after Trauma.

Bethesda, MD, US

• Attended two-week series of lectures covering the following:
• Clinical trial designs, phases
• Grant and manuscript writing
• Ethics of clinical research; institutional review board; volunteer recruitment and consent
• Drug development protocols
• Regulatory science

Hampton, VA, US

Purified the protein product of Rv3183, a gene from the Mycobacterium tuberculosis genome to explore its structure and function. Made SDS-PAGE gels and performed gel electrophoresis to determine success of cloning and purification. Presented poster presentations at the 15th Annual Hampton University Research Symposium and the Virginia Collegiate Honors.

Presented poster for research conducted at the University of Pennsylvania. Networked with faculty and peers from over 200 institutions and industries. Attended multiple seminars highlighting the exciting ongoing research in various scientific fields ranging from astrophysics to toxicology. Also participated in several workshops addressing the graduate.

Provided oral presentation of research conducted at the University of Pennsylvania.

Philadelphia, PA, US

Explored the possible neurotoxic effects of anti-retroviral therapy (drugs used to reduce viral load of HIV) on astrocytes in vitro to determine their potential role in HIV-associated neurological disorders of infected patients. Mastered tissue culture, splitting and counting cells, and harvesting samples for molecular analysis. Utilized Western blot.

Doctor Of Philosophy - Phd, Neuroscience

Bachelor Of Science (B.S.), Biology, Concentration In Cellular And Molecular Biology