Jessica Williams

Graduate Student - Ding Lab
B.A. in Biology and English Literature

I grew up in Olathe, Kansas and graduated from William Jewell College in 2004 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology and English Literature. After receiving my bachelor's degree, I worked at IBT Laboratories for five years where I developed immunology and allergy tests for study subjects enrolled in clinical trials for new drugs and vaccines. My work at IBT made me realize my passion for research and inspired me to pursue my graduate degree.

Research Interests

Under the guidance of my mentor Dr. Grace Guo, I am studying the role of Farnesoid X Receptor (FXR) in inflammation and immunity by investigating the mechanism by which FXR activates inflammatory response genes in the liver and intestine. FXR is part of the nuclear receptor family and is a ligand-activated transcription factor that has been shown to play a role in the inflammatory response.