Pamela Padilla: A passion for science

		Pamela Padilla, assistant professor of biological sciences, joined UNT by way of Albuquerque and Seattle. She teaches genetics courses and studies the effects of oxygen deprivation on organisms.oma City bombing site

For Pamela Padilla, UNT assistant professor of biological sciences, science has been a lifelong passion.

"I've always been interested in science," she says. "When I was a little girl, Albert Einstein and Marie Curie were my heroes."

Padilla teaches genetics courses and runs a research laboratory that studies how molecular mechanisms respond to environmental stress, using genetic model systems to show how oxygen deprivation affects organisms.

"We're very fortunate to have Dr. Padilla in the department," says Art Goven, professor and chair of the Department of Biological Sciences. "She has demonstrated incredible research abilities and serves as an excellent role model for our students."

Padilla grew up in Albuquerque, N.M., and attended the University of New Mexico, earning her bachelor's degree in biology in 1993 and a doctorate in 1998.

"At the University of New Mexico, I started with engineering," she says. "But then I took a genetics course and realized that I wanted to spend my life in the lab."

After graduating, Padilla worked at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle for three years before coming to UNT in 2002.

Most of her interest in biology stems from her love of nature, she says, and she enjoyed hiking in Seattle.

"It was very cold and wet, but the landscape was beautiful," she says. "I moved down here because it was so much closer to New Mexico, but I still had to re-adjust to the climate."

Padilla stays busy spending time with her 6-year-old daughter. They have been taking piano lessons together.

"She's already better at piano than her mother," Padilla says.

Although she misses the more adventurous terrain of Seattle and New Mexico, Padilla speaks highly of her experiences at UNT.

"All six students who help me in the lab are really top-notch, intelligent people. This university has a lot of really bright students. It's a really good school."

BY PETER HOFSTAD paiswri2@unt.edu

Other featured articles in this issue

• Hearing at UNT explores nanotechnology
• La Point to serve on national committee
• New UNT center offers cyber security certifications
• New grading system announced to senate
• International group elects Holden president
• UNT community's donations make the holidays brighter
• Marcello earns lifetime achievement award
• Three honored for 40 years of service to university
• Film historian discusses 2003's best movies

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