Julia McGovern is a Kenyon College Class of 2027 student studying Biology.

Research interests: I am interested in exploring the biological mechanisms of disease development, focusing on how cellular and physiological dysfunction actually happens. I am also curious about translating these pathways into public health and nutritional research to understand how dietary factors influence chronic conditions like cancer.

Previous research experience: Member of Dr. Ethan Hillman's lab starting January 2026 where I map out the metabolic pathways of newly discovered bifidobacterium strains.

As a member of the Peletonia cohort, I worked on creating a Food Processing Quality Index, which demonstrates how processed individual food items are and when combined with cancer biomarkers such as CRP levels can be used to determine cancer risk and elucidate the relationship between food processing and cancer.

How I got started: I got started by speaking with several of my professors about their own research. Even though they didn't have an open spot for me, I learned about many different scientific fields which helped me narrow my interests. I initially started with a neuroscience lab and after attending a few journal clubs, I realized I didn't enjoy it. I got my chance when in one of my classes, my professor expressed an interest in publishing a paper using the data we were collecting. I expressed my interest in continuing this project and was able to join BIOL 385 at Kenyon to get class credit for my work. I also applied for 20+ different summer research experiences and eventually ended up as a volunteer researcher at The Ohio State University after being accepted into the CREATES program

Looking for: Research assistant opportunities

Skills / methods: Excel, R Studio, Phlebotomy, Public health, Presetting Scientific Posters, Kbase, KEGG Mapper

Open to being contacted: Yes

Preferred contact: mcgovjulia@gmail.com

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