Karen E. Nelson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Karen E. Nelson
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Dr. Karen E. Nelson, Chief Science Officer of Thermo Fisher Scientific
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Jamaica
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| Alma mater | University of the West Indies Cornell University |
| Known for | Human microbiome |
Karen Nelson is a scientist from Jamaica. She is an American microbiologist. This means she studies very tiny living things called microbes. She is famous for her work on the human microbiome. This is all the microbes that live inside and on our bodies. Dr. Nelson used to be the president of the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI). In 2021, she became the Chief Scientific Officer at Thermo Fisher Scientific.
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Education
Karen Nelson went to college at the University of the West Indies. Later, she earned a special science degree called a Ph.D. from Cornell University. A Ph.D. is a very high degree in science.
Career and research
Dr. Nelson is a top expert in studying the genes of microbes. This field is called microbial genomics. She also studies all the genes from many microbes at once, which is called metagenomics. Her work helps us understand human health better.
Discoveries about bacteria
She is known for her research on a special bacterium called Thermotoga maritima. She worked at The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR). Her team published the complete genetic map, or genome, of this bacterium. This research showed that bacteria can share genes with each other. This process is called horizontal gene transfer.
Understanding the human microbiome
Dr. Nelson is also well-known for her work on the human microbiome. This is the community of tiny living things inside and on our bodies. Her current research looks at how these microbes affect different diseases.
She has deep knowledge in many areas of microbe study. These include how microbes live in their environment (microbial ecology). She also studies how microbes work (microbial physiology). In 2006, her team published the very first study on the human microbiome. This was a big step in understanding our bodies.
Leadership in science
In 2012, Dr. Nelson became the president of the JCVI. Before that, she held other important roles at the Institute. She was the director of the Rockville Campus. She also led the Human Microbiology and Metagenomics department.
Dr. Nelson has written or helped write over 200 science papers. She has also edited three books. She is currently the main editor for two science journals. These are Microbial Ecology and PNAS Nexus. In 2015, Scientific American magazine called her one of biotechnology's "leading lights."
Honors and awards
- Helmholtz International Fellow Award
- Fellow, American Society for Microbiology
- ARCS Scientist of the Year (2017)
- Elected Member, National Academy of Sciences (2017)
