Dr. Reem Hakeem

Postdoctoral Scholar

I obtained my B.S. in Chemistry and B.A. in French at UNC Wilmington. My love for the sciences and languages motivated me to pursue an internship at the Curie Institute. I worked on the production and crystallization of recombinant domains of myosin-18a. This internship enabled me to conduct research whilst simultaneously practicing a foreign language and engaging in a diverse environment. It enhanced both my cultural literacy and my ability to communicate science. My experiences at the Curie inspired me on a long journey in research that continued for two years at the NIH and onwards to my doctoral journey in Jim’s Bear’s lab at UNC Chapel Hill. In December 2022, I completed my Ph.D. thesis on the cytoskeletal mechanisms that regulate durotaxis migration.

Recently, I have started a new and exciting cytoskeleton journey in the Elting lab! Fascinated by the mechanics of the mitotic machinery, I am trying to understand how spindle length and membrane tension influence the sensing and recruitment of nuclear envelope repair machinery in S.pombe.

Link to publications: R. Hakeem