Kate Korobkina named Mello Scholar

Ekaterina (Kate) Korobkina is a PhD candidate in our lab who is studying mechanisms of nutrient sensing in cells and tissues focusing in mTORC2 regulation and thermogenesis pathways.

She was one of four graduate students at UMass Chan Medical School's Program in Molecular Medicine who were named as the 2021 Mello Scholars.  Each will receive one year of funding towards their research.  The award is presented annually by its namesake, Nobel Laureate Craig Mello, PhD.  Dr. Mello and colleague Andrew Fire, PhD, of Stanford University, were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2006 for their discoveries related to RNA interference.

“I’m excited.  It’s an honor to be selected as a Mello Scholar,” said Korobkina.  “I look forward to continuing a productive graduate career under Dr. Guertin’s mentorship.” 

Korobkina is originally from Russia, which she left to attend UWC Lester B. Pearson College in Canada.  She then came to the United States where she earned her undergraduate degree from Earlham College in Indiana, majoring in biochemistry with a minor in psychology.  After graduating, she spent three years in Boston as a research assistant at Schepens Eye Research Institute/Massachusetts Eye and Ear where she co-authored a study led by Harvard scientists that used genetic engineering to restore age-related vision loss and eye damage in mice, that was caused by glaucoma.

“Kate has been an amazing addition to our lab.  She’s an extremely talented and driven researcher with a bright future," said Dr. Guertin.  "The Mello Scholar Award is a well-deserved honor that will help launch her career trajectory.”