COSAM News Articles 2019 May Monika Raj from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry is a Recipient of a 2019 APS Early Career Lectureship

Monika Raj from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry is a Recipient of a 2019 APS Early Career Lectureship

Published: 05/14/2019

By: Maria Gebhardt

Dr. Monika Raj from the College of Sciences and Mathematics (COSAM) has been selected for a 2019 American Peptide Society (APS) Early Career Lectureship. She will present her work at a symposium in June in Monterey, California.

“It is an honor to be invited to speak at this international conference and represent Auburn University with my research in peptide and protein chemistry,” explained Dr. Raj, an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

Her research focuses on developing new compounds that will help develop drug discoveries with the goal to cure terminal diseases such as cancer.

“I wanted to be a researcher so that I could help people,” Dr. Raj added.

As a child, she watched family members in India who lost the battle with cancer at early ages.

“This motivated me to dedicate my career to help find new drugs that will give people an opportunity to survive this disease,” she shared.

Dr. Raj also believes in the importance of women in the STEM field. She is a role model who believes her hard work and passion in this field will change the perception of women in STEM.

“I grew up not seeing many women in science,” Dr. Raj said. “I want to help girls know that they can do this and pursue a career in STEM.”

In 2018, Dr. Raj earned a $650,000 National Science Foundation CAREER Award to detect new protein modifications.