Natalie C Kegulian

An enthusiast for scientific advancement and written word alike, Natalie majored in biological sciences and minored in comparative literature at the University of Southern California. She attained her first hands-on lab experience during those years completing her BS degree, working in a biogeochemistry lab. She then earned her PhD at USC’s Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, studying the shape-shifting behaviors of human disease-associated amyloid proteins. This was when she developed her passion for protein structure, which has subsequently fueled her postdoctoral research on apolipoproteins, neuronal structural proteins, and currently, enamel matrix proteins. At Ostrow School of Dentistry at USC, Natalie is uncovering the conformations and intermolecular interactions that allow ameloblastin and amelogenin to guide tooth enamel formation. Along the way, Natalie has published six papers, including three first-author publications, one of which was awarded the Journal of Biological Chemistry‘s annual Best of Papers of the Week honor. In her spare time, Natalie plays classical piano and writes songs in a variety of genres.