Nan Hultgren

Bio:

I was born and raised in Hangzhou, China, a city just an hour outside of Shanghai. After high school, I came to the US to pursue higher education. I received my B.S. in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry from California State University, East Bay and my PhD in Vascular Biology from University of California, Irvine. Currently, I am conducting my postdoctoral study in Dr. David Williams’ lab at UCLA, studying mitochondrial dynamics and motility in retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells, a cell type that is implicated in various retinal degenerative diseases. I have had fairly diverse research experience and I am interested in leveraging my knowledge in the broader field of molecular and cell biology to study cell-cell interactions in complex tissue environment and pathology. At every stage of my career, I encountered great teachers and mentors who not only passed on their knowledge and wisdom, but also affected me on a personal level, to be passionate and dedicated to my own pursuits, to be caring and respectful of others, and to commit to serving the community. Therefore, I hope to use what I learned to help and inspire the next generation of young scientists. Outside of work, I am a board member of the ARCS foundation to advocate and help fund college and graduate level research. I also enjoy practicing yoga, cooking and gardening.

My long-term goal is to obtain an academic position where I could conduct research, teach undergraduate courses and continue to mentor students. Being a first-generation myself, I also hope to advocate for and help immigrants and students from underrepresented communities to achieve their own goals.