2022 Taylor M. Brown Award

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Biochemistry, Molecular and Structural Biology (BMSB) graduate student Troy Lowe (S. Clarke group) has been awarded the 2022 Taylor M. Brown Award.

The Taylor M. Brown Award recognizes exceptional Ph.D. students in the biosciences who reflect the characteristics that made Taylor such a special member of the UCLA community. The awardees are well-rounded, with strong interpersonal skills and broad interests, and are passionate about mentorship, leadership, teaching, and science. They are highly engaged with the UCLA biosciences community and have a powerful commitment to increasing diversity in the biosciences.

Troy Lowe is a Ph.D. student in Biochemistry, Molecular and Structural Biology in the lab of Professor Steve Clarke. His thesis research aims to conduct a biochemical and physiological characterization of Protein Arginine Methyltransferase 7 (PRMT7), an enzyme that is overexpressed in many cancers. At UCLA, he shows great interest in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusivity. He was a board member of the UCLA SACNAS Chapter and is an active participant in the CNSI Nanoscience Outreach Program. Troy is also passionate about teaching and mentoring, having served as a teaching assistant for seven biochemistry courses and as a research mentor for seven students in the Clarke lab. Troy is the recipient of a UCLA T32 Cellular and Molecular Biology Training Award, a University Fellowship, and a 2021 Sigman Symposium Poster Award.

About 2022 Taylor M. Brown
The Taylor M. Brown Memorial Award was established in honor of biosciences graduate student Taylor M. Brown. Taylor was a long-standing and vibrant member of the UCLA community. As a UCLA undergraduate, she majored in Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, receiving her B.S. in 2015. She then joined the Immunity, Microbes, and Molecular Pathogenesis Home Area in the Molecular Biology Interdepartmental Program for her Ph.D., where she pursued her interest in understanding host-pathogen interactions. Taylor was deeply committed to increasing diversity in the biosciences, serving as an active member of the Association for Multi-Ethnic Bioscientists’ Advancement (AMEBA) and the UCLA SACNAS Chapter (SACNAS@UCLA). She was passionate about teaching, mentoring, and outreach. Her kindness and compassion made a lasting and widespread impact on the UCLA biosciences community. Taylor’s many accomplishments, her promise as a scientist, and her strong dedication to diversifying the biosciences were recognized by her selection in 2018 as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Gilliam Fellow.

Anthony Jones, is a Ph.D. student in Molecular Pharmacology in the lab of Dr. Ajit Divakaruni, also received the 2022 Taylor M. Brown award.

Funds for the discretionary award are provided by UCLA Graduate Programs in Bioscience. Funds for the travel award are provided by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Gilliam Fellows Program.