Macie Proctor-Roser

Macie Proctor-Roser is a 2024-2028 Self Graduate Fellow pursuing a Ph.D. in Molecular Biosciences at the University of Kansas, focusing on Microbiology and Immunology. She graduated from Northern Arizona University (NAU) in December 2022 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a minor in Spanish Linguistics. While at NAU, Macie’s research centered on developing a multivalent and highly immunostimulatory Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine to help combat the HPV public health crisis in Indigenous communities. Her current research investigates how the immune regulatory gene, protein tyrosine phosphatase non-receptor type 22 (PTPN22), impacts the immune response during a virus infection. Specifically, Macie is interested in better defining; 1) How PTPN22 regulates the interaction between B lymphocyte cells and T follicular helper cells to increase virus-specific antibody production and enhance the anti-viral immune response, and 2), Determining if PTPN22 is a critical regulator of neuroinflammation during a central nervous system (CNS) viral infection. Her future aspirations include becoming a Research Scientist in a government or industry laboratory working on highly infectious diseases while being an advocate and mentor for the next generation of female, first-generation, or underrepresented scientists. 

Mentor: Robin Orozco, Ph.D.; Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular Biosciences