UW–Madison undergraduate students play an important role in research happening all over campus. Biochemistry majors jump into projects across a wide range of fields related to their major, and the mix of their research experiences, classes, and extracurriculars sets them up for a diverse range of career paths.
In this series, some of these students share how their interests have taken shape, how working in labs has changed the way they see research, what they’ve learned from classes outside their major, and how they’ve found community along the way.
Emma Kluge is from Glen Ellyn, IL and recently graduated with a degree in biochemistry. She conducted research in the lab of Catherine Fox.
Did you come to UW–Madison knowing you wanted to major in biochemistry?
I always liked my biology and chemistry classes in high school, and my Advanced Placement chemistry teacher drew me into the sciences. Biochemistry is the chemistry of the biological processes that I’m interested in, so majoring in biochemistry just made sense.
Tell us about your research.
My work has given me a great basic understanding of how to conduct research. The Catherine Fox Lab studies DNA replication. I look at how DNA replication is impacted and the relationship between chromatin structure and DNA replication origins when we heat up enzymes that are critical to the process. I heat the enzymes to non-permissible temperatures that alter their function. Then we look at why exactly they grew differently at non-permissible temperatures compared to permissible temperatures.
What classes outside of your major have you especially enjoyed?
I tried to pick humanities classes that also had a science focus, like environmental science. That gave me the opportunity to see how my biology and chemistry classes can apply to other fields.
Where have you found community at UW–Madison?
There are a couple of classmates that I met through the Biocore program. We study together or sometimes just get dinner. I also do intramural and club soccer, and I’m in the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. It’s really nice to have different groups of friends, and I’ve liked having a chance to meet people across campus.
What do you hope to do after you graduate?
I started paying attention to all that a degree in biochemistry can do during the COVID-19 pandemic. I read about companies developing vaccines and drugs and helping to save a lot of people. I plan to go into industry and do work that is more applied. After interning at Eli Lilly in Summer 2025, I accepted a full-time position in Indianapolis that will start after I graduate. I’d like to make sure that I can have real connections with people impacted by my work.
Undergraduates majoring in biochemistry can email communications@biochem.wisc.edu to participate in the Undergrad Profile series.