Lauren Walling, PhD
Our basic science representative is a postdoctoral fellow who serves on the NIH Fellows Committee (FelCom) on behalf of the institute's fellow population. Representative appointments last for 12 months and can be renewed for an additional year.
Responsibilities of the institute’s representative include attending all scheduled FelCom meetings, participating on a subcommittee, disseminating information to the fellows in their institute, communicating fellows’ concerns to the committee, and coordinating the distribution of information via subcommittees. In NICHD, our representatives also work closely with the Office of Education to plan events for all NICHD postdoctoral trainees.
If you would like more information about serving as a basic science or clinical postdoctoral representative, please contact Dr. Erin Walsh (erin.walsh@nih.gov) and for information about serving on a FelCom subcommittee, contact one of the committee chairs directly.
Introducing Lauren Walling, PhD
I grew up in Syracuse, New York and graduated from Cornell University with a degree in biology. During my time at Cornell, I was very involved in undergraduate research in a microbiology lab, which inspired me to join the Microbiology and Immunology department at the University of Rochester for my PhD research. I completed my thesis work in the lab of Dr. Scott Butler, studying bacterial toxin-antitoxin systems. In 2018, I joined the lab of Dr. Gisela Storz here at NICHD to conduct my postdoctoral research on bacterial gene regulation by small RNAs in response to environmental stress. Apart from research, I am also passionate about training and mentoring young scientists and making science accessible to the community through public outreach.
In my free time, I volunteer with Guiding Eyes for the Blind to train future guide dogs and teach dog training classes for their volunteer puppy raisers in Montgomery County and DC. I also love any excuse to get outdoors—hiking, camping, sailing, or scuba diving.
I am very excited to serve as the basic science representative for NICHD to support our wonderful community of trainees. I hope that many of you will participate in the NICHD Fellows Advisory Committee, which is a great place to suggest new training or career development opportunities and voice any concerns you may have. Additionally, you can always reach out to me with any ideas or concerns; my email is lauren.walling@nih.gov.