Danielle Dotson

Danielle Dotson is a 2025-2029 Self Graduate Fellow pursuing a PhD in Bioengineering at the University of Kansas, focusing on Biomolecular Engineering. She received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering with an emphasis in Biochemical Engineering, as well as a minor in Biomedical Engineering, from Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, Missouri. Her undergraduate research experience focused on designing an affordable at-home test for detecting early-stage breast cancer for those without healthcare, money, or time.

She is further exploring her passion for providing quality healthcare for the underserved at KU in the Whelan Lab, where she is studying the mechanism of action by which an important biomarker (MUC16) is cleaved from ovarian cancer cells. She hopes to use her research to understand the mechanisms by which ovarian cancer spreads in different patient groups for specific targeted therapeutics and diagnostics. Danielle aims to eliminate the health gap in underrepresented populations while fighting to keep medical technologies accessible to the public. She also wishes to be a mentor to the next generation, instilling the same idea of innovating for underserved populations.
 

Mentor: Rebecca Whelan, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Chemistry.