Kara Cerveny

Kara Cerveny lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband, 9-year-old daughter, three chickens, and one dog. She has always been an explorer with a deep interest in how living systems work, especially at the microscopic level. You can often find her peering through a microscope at developing zebrafish embryos to gain a deeper understanding of how cells transition from proliferation (making copies of themselves) to differentiation (turning into the cells that make vision possible) in the developing visual system. She has B.S. Biology and Chemistry from Duke University, a Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Cell, and Molecular Biology from Johns Hopkins Medical Institute, and post-doctoral research experience from the University College London. She has been a biology professor at Reed College for 11 years. There she teaches courses about cell and developmental biology, stem cell biology, and neurodevelopment. Her lab's work has been funded by the M.J. Murdock Trust, the NIH, and the Beckman Foundation. She was recently named a Periclean Faculty Leader of the Arthur Vining Davis Foundation for her work facilitating conversations about science and religion.