MSF Fellow

 

Chris Dicksion is a 3rd year graduate student in Chemistry and was recruited as the current MSF Fellow in 2022. Chris provides facility services on the LCT and GCT for accurate mass molecular formula validation of small molecules, as well as ion mobility separation and peptide analyses and contributes to general instrument maintenance.

Chris received his B.A. degree in Anthropology from UC Santa Cruz in 2004.

While roaming through the old orange groves of El Toro, Chris found a pathway that led to the redwoods of Santa Cruz. After earning a bachelor’s degree in anthropology, he was fortunate to learn the art and science of tending a small vineyard. Deep engagement with the soil and the plants allowed him to glimpse the complex, synergistic spirals of chemistry, biology, and physics that drive all forms of life to survive and thrive. Having always been attracted to natural science, he felt compelled by his experiences at the vineyard to take the next step in his education toward a graduate degree in chemical biology. Alas, his pathway back to Orange County has been long and convoluted, often rerouted by fallen trees but nourished by bountiful streams. His pathway has allowed him to become an educator, a farmer, a small business owner, a spouse, and a parent. Now, he is fortunate to be part of the Nowick Lab in the Chemistry Department at UCI, where he has met many wonderful, inspiring, funny, smart, dedicated, and genuinely-caring people. He is excited to learn from them as he explores the environs of advanced chemical biology, to which he hopes to contribute something meaningful to the scientific understanding of oligomeric amyloid beta.