Tadas Sereiva

As a child I practiced many sports, enjoyed spending time outdoors, and science was my favorite subject. Although I lost interest in school as a teenager, when it came time to choose a major, I naturally leaned towards a biology-related subject. Therefore, I pursued a degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at UC Davis. During two summer internships, I became familiar with the general R&D process, especially the rigor necessary to bring a product to market. Buoyed by these experiences, I sought to strengthen my research skills by contributing to a multi-year project, which led me to join the Chédin Lab at UC Davis. Over my three years there as an undergraduate and junior specialist, I contributed to various projects exploring the formation, resolution, and mapping of co-transcriptional RNA:DNA hybrids (R-loops). I then decided to seek further training through a PhD in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Michigan Medical School. Motivated by my own cycling training and health goals, I have become acutely interested in pursuing translational research to develop therapeutics that replicate exercise-induced adaptations. To this end, I have joined the Ruas Lab to extend my experience into exercise physiology and answer important questions regarding PGC-1α turnover, with the goal of discovering treatments for disease-induced and age-related muscle degeneration.