Renã A. S. Robinson facts for kids

Renã A. S. Robinson is a leading scientist who studies chemistry. She is an associate professor at Vanderbilt University. There, she leads a research group called the RASR Laboratory.

Dr. Robinson is known for her work in proteomics. This is the study of all the proteins in a living thing. She also researches diseases like Alzheimer's disease and sepsis, and how our bodies change as we get older. She created a new way to study many proteins at once, called cPILOT. She has won several awards for her important work.

Becoming a Scientist: Education and Early Research

Renã A. S. Robinson was born Rena A. Sowell. She is married and has two children.

She earned her first degree in chemistry from the University of Louisville in 2000. Later, in 2007, she received her Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from Indiana University Bloomington. During her Ph.D. studies, she developed new methods to identify proteins in fruit flies. She used these methods to study how aging affects proteins. Her research helped identify over 1,600 proteins. It showed links between proteins involved in metabolism and defense, and the aging process.

After her Ph.D., Dr. Robinson worked at the University of Kentucky. She focused on using proteomics to study Alzheimer's disease in animals and humans. Her research helped discover that something called oxidative stress affects the brains of people with Alzheimer's. Oxidative stress happens when there are too many harmful molecules in the body.

Dr. Robinson's Scientific Career

From 2009 to 2017, Dr. Robinson was a professor at the University of Pittsburgh. She also worked at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. In late 2017, she moved to Vanderbilt University. There, she continues to lead the RASR Laboratory. She is a professor in the chemistry and neurology departments. She is also part of the Vanderbilt Memory & Alzheimer's Center.

Understanding Brain Changes and Health Differences

Dr. Robinson's research looks at how changes in the brain and body are connected. She studies diseases like Alzheimer's. She is especially interested in why some groups of people get age-related diseases more often. For example, Black and Hispanic communities have a much higher risk of developing Alzheimer's.

She uses advanced methods to see if differences at the molecular level can explain these health differences. She wants to know if changes outside the brain, like oxidative stress, happen before or after changes inside the brain.

How Proteins Affect Aging and Disease

Proteins are vital for many body functions. They help cells communicate. When proteins change, it can affect the whole body. Scientists know that protein behavior changes as people age. But they don't fully understand why. Dr. Robinson studies how the immune system changes with age. She hopes to link these early changes to the development of Alzheimer's and other age-related diseases.

Dr. Robinson also creates new tools and methods for studying proteins. She develops new proteomics techniques. These help her study how aging affects the body, especially how certain proteins linked to Alzheimer's are made in different organs.

She developed a special method called cPILOT. This method allows scientists to examine 12 or 16 samples at once. By tracking special "tags" on proteins, Dr. Robinson can identify proteins that have changed. Understanding these changes in Alzheimer's disease could lead to new treatments.

Dr. Robinson is also the current president of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers.

Sharing Science and Helping Others

Besides her research, Dr. Robinson is passionate about helping young scientists. She provides guidance to college students and new researchers. She also works with younger students (K-12) to get them excited about science.

She was in charge of outreach and education at the University of Pittsburgh's Alzheimer's Disease Research Center. She continues to mentor students at Vanderbilt. As a Vanderbilt Global Voices Fellow, she helps raise public awareness. She talks about racial and ethnic differences in Alzheimer's disease. She also discusses how COVID-19 has affected communities of color in the USA.

Awards and Recognition

• 2024 Power List - Human Health Heroes, Analytical Scientist
• 2023 Power List - Mentors and Educators, Analytical Scientist
• 2019, Vanderbilt Global Voices Fellowship, from Vanderbilt University
• 2019, Margaret Cuninggim Mentoring Award, from Vanderbilt University
• 2017, Pittsburgh Conference Achievement Award, from Pittcon
• 2016, Women Of Excellence Award, New Pittsburgh Courier
• 2016, Talented Twelve Award, from Chemical and Engineering News
• 2016, Emerging Investigator, from Analyst
• 2016, Young Investigator, from Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry
• 2015, ASMS Emerging Investigator, from Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry