Chris Cabello
PhD Candidate, 2011
Casa Grande, Ariz., native Chris Cabello had such an enjoyable experience in his high school chemistry class that he began taking extra college-level chemistry courses from Central Arizona College after his sophomore year of high school.
“The college courses that I took during high school really helped solidify my decision to choose a major in science,” he says.
It was natural then, for him to attend The University of Arizona and receive a bachelor of science degree in chemistry after high school.
“I grew up in nearby Casa Grande and have always been a Wildcat fan,” he says. “With my interest in science I was drawn to UA since I knew that I could engage in undergraduate research and begin making a positive impact at an early stage in my education.”
While studying at UA Cabello had an undergraduate fellowship funded by Pfizer. Through the fellowship he gave a poster presentation at Pfizer’s laboratories in Ann Arbor, Mich. He was attracted to the city and its proximity to the company, which allowed for collaborations between Pfizer and the University of Michigan’s chemistry department. He received a master of science in chemistry with concentration in chemical biology from Michigan in June 2006.
“Ann Arbor is beautiful during the summer, but the winters are definitely not as fun,” Cabello says. “I chose to return to UA to pursue my PhD in medicinal chemistry because I wanted to make a transition from my master’s work in metallopeptides to investigations in drug discovery and the genetic basis of disease.”
Cabello received a two-year genomics fellowship from the National Science Foundation Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship program. The fellowship provides training in functional, evolutionary and computational genomics.
“The purpose of this interdisciplinary training is to introduce me to diverse areas in science to enhance my thesis research in medicinal chemistry,” he says. “With this training, I hope to work in elucidating key proteins meditating cell signaling and identifying therapeutic targets to treat genetic disorders.”