Bio
Kelly's independent research experiences began prior to her collegiate career, where she worked as a research assistant in several research laboratories at Penn State University. Under the supervision and mentorship of Dr. Meg Small, Kelly conducted her own research as Primary Investigator, published in the Journal of Emerging Investigators in September 2019. Kelly then moved on to worked as a research assistant in Dr. Sonia Cavigelli’s Behavioral Neuroendocrinology Lab, in the Biobehavioral Health Department at Penn State University, where she studied the connection between asthma and anxiety levels in a mouse model of asthma, by analyzing animals’ performance on behavior assays.
Kelly continued her academic and research career as an Honors Student at UNC Chapel Hill. Throughout her career as a student at UNC Chapel Hill, she worked in several laboratory positions, but most recently as a research assistant in Dr. Zylka’s research laboratory, in the UNC School of Medicine. Her senior year, Kelly was accepted into the Honors Thesis research program at the University. Kelly independently conducted her own research study and defended her findings at the Undergraduate Biology Honors Thesis Research Symposium in November 2022.
Following graduation, Kelly joined the Buckwalter Laboratory in the Department of Neurology & Neurological Sciences at Stanford School of Medicine, as a research technician. Under her supervisor Dr. Elizabeth Mayne, Kelly conducts research focusing on the exploration of long-term adolescent recovery after stroke injury, specifically on how neurogenesis and inflammation interact to affect pediatric cognitive development. Kelly has worked to hypothesize several experimental designs to test whether there is abnormal myelination or inflammation outside the infarct.
Current Role at Stanford
As a Laboratory Research Technician in Dr. Marion Buckwalter's Laboratory, Kelly conducts research that explores inflammatory responses after brain injury affect neurological recovery. Kelly works directly with Dr. Elizabeth Mayne in her exploration of long term adolescent recovery after stroke.
Honors & Awards
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Honors Thesis, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill - Honors College (November, 2022)