Ian Ferrin-O'Connell, G5
Ian Ferrin-O’Connell attended Colorado College on a full-ride scholarship through the Boettcher Foundation. As an undergrad, Ian’s interests ran primarily to biochemistry and competitive debate. He was a member of the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB), Co-Chair of the Colorado College honor council, helped found Cool Science (a program that paired with Intel to bring science demonstrations into elementary classrooms), played Division III football for two years as an outside linebacker/defensive end, volunteered with the Southern Colorado AIDS Project (S-CAP), was the fourth-ranked speaker (2003) and leader of the second-best debate team in the nation (2004), a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and graduated magna cum laude.
In the lab, Ian studied the thermodynamics of RNA-metal binding as it related to the HIV-1 tar bulge. After graduation, Ian spent a year as the leisure-programs liaison for Colorado College, helping student committees bring performers to the college, writing contracts, etc. During this time Ian decided he was not quite finished with science or his studies of biochemistry and molecular biology. Ian came to Harvard because MCB had the best selection of faculty interests similar to his own, as well as a broad range of subject areas. Moreover, he said, “the faculty and students here seemed earnest in their desire to build a strong community of scientists, something I was very much looking for in a grad program.”
Ian is currently studying the phosphate-sensing (Pho) pathway in yeast from a structural perspective. Ultimately, Ian would like to use the structural insights from this analysis to elucidate the mechanism of this small molecule-mediated inhibition. Finally, Ian is trying to ascertain IP7’s role in controlling other cellular processes (glycogen storage) via this particular CDK-CDKI pairing. As the first example of small molecule-mediated CDK regulation, this system provides new insights into the complex relations between proteins and metabolites.
Following completion of his PhD, Ian plans to use his science training in one of two career paths. In one, he would take a post-doc with an emphasis on teaching to prepare for a teaching position at a liberal arts college. In the other, he would seek a fellowship working in the public sector at the intersection of science and policy. For either path, Ian says, his committee has been incredibly helpful, providing suggestions for possible programs and post-docs, as well as advice on immediate training opportunities.
