Jennifer Rohn
{{short description|American biologist and writer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox scientist
| name = Jenny Rohn
| birth_name = Jennifer Leigh Rohn
| image = Jennifer_Rohn.jpg
| image_size = 150px
| caption = Jennifer Rohn in 2011
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1967}}
| birth_place = Stow, Ohio, U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| citizenship = British, American
| nationality =
| ethnicity =
| field = Cell biology
| work_institutions = London Research Institute
University College London
University of Washington
| education = Oberlin College (BA)
University of Washington (PhD)
| thesis_title = The evolution of feline leukemia virus in vivo: A model of understanding viral genetic determinants of pathogenicity
| thesis_url = https://www.proquest.com/docview/304324120
| thesis_year = 1996
| doctoral_advisor = Julie M. Overbaugh
| doctoral_students =
| known_for = Lab lit
Science is Vital campaign
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| influences =
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| prizes = Suffrage Science award (2014)
| religion =
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| signature =
| website = {{Official URL}}
}}
Jennifer Leigh Rohn (born 1967 in Stow, Ohio[https://www.amazon.com/Jennifer-L.-Rohn/e/B001JS8XBU/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0 Bio by author]) is a British-American scientist and novelist.{{EuropePMC}}{{twitter}} She is a cell biologist at University College London,{{Cite journal
| last1 = Matthews | first1 = H. K.
| last2 = Delabre | first2 = U.
| last3 = Rohn | first3 = J. L.
| author-link3 = Jennifer Rohn
| last4 = Guck | first4 = J.
| last5 = Kunda | first5 = P.
| last6 = Baum | first6 = B.
| doi = 10.1016/j.devcel.2012.06.003
| title = Changes in Ect2 Localization Couple Actomyosin-Dependent Cell Shape Changes to Mitotic Progression
| journal = Developmental Cell
| volume = 23
| issue = 2
| pages = 371–383
| year = 2012
| pmid = 22898780
| pmc = 3763371
}} editor of the webzine LabLit.com{{cite web |url=http://www.lablit.com |title=LabLit.com - the culture of science in fiction & fact |access-date=2012-12-18}} and founder of the Science is Vital organization that campaigns against cuts to the public funding of science in the United Kingdom.{{cite web |url=http://scienceisvital.org.uk |title=Science is Vital | No more Dr Nice Guy! |access-date=2012-12-18}}{{cite journal |last1=Milton |first1=Joseph |title=How vital is science? |journal=Nature |date=5 October 2010 |doi=10.1038/news.2010.512 |doi-access=free }}[http://www.lablit.com/ LabLit.com], "a forum for all topics related to the culture of science in fiction and fact", webzine edited by Rohn[http://occamstypewriter.org/mindthegap/ Mind the Gap], Rohn's blog on Occam's Typewriter[https://www.theguardian.com/science/the-lay-scientist/2010/oct/03/science-funding-crisis Science: It beats living in caves], 2010 article by Rohn at The Guardian
Education
Rohn graduated from Oberlin College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology in 1990. Following this Rohn was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1996 from the University of Washington for work on Feline leukemia virus (FeLV).{{cite thesis |degree=PhD |first=Jennifer|last=Rohn |title=The evolution of feline leukemia virus in vivo: A model of understanding viral genetic determinants of pathogenicity |publisher=University of Washington |date=1996 |oclc=36895650|author-link=Jennifer Rohn|id={{ProQuest|304324120}}}}
Career and research
After postdoctoral research at the Cancer Research UK London Research Institute (now incorporated into the Francis Crick Institute) studying apoptosis and cancer with Gerard Evan, Rohn moved to the Netherlands to lead a research group at the biotech start-up company, Leadd BV. After moving into scientific publishing for a few years, Rohn joined University College London in 2007, setting up her own group in the Centre for Nephrology at University College London in 2015.{{Cite web|url=http://iris.ucl.ac.uk/iris/browse/profile?upi=JROHN80|title=Iris View Profile|website=iris.ucl.ac.uk|access-date=2019-03-10}}
Rohn's initial research interest was in virology.{{cite journal |last1=Rohn |first1=JL |last2=Linenberger |first2=ML |last3=Hoover |first3=EA |last4=Overbaugh |first4=J |title=Evolution of feline leukemia virus variant genomes with insertions, deletions, and defective envelope genes in infected cats with tumors. |journal=Journal of Virology |date=April 1994 |volume=68 |issue=4 |pages=2458–67 |pmc=236723 |pmid=8139030 |doi=10.1128/JVI.68.4.2458-2467.1994 }}{{cite journal |last1=Rohn |first1=Jennifer L. |last2=Overbaugh |first2=Julie |title=In vivo selection of long terminal repeat alterations in feline leukemia virus-induced thymic lymphomas |journal=Virology |date=January 1995 |volume=206 |issue=1 |pages=661–665 |doi=10.1016/S0042-6822(95)80085-9 |pmid=7831823 |doi-access= }} Over the following 15 years Rohn studied apoptosis and the shape of cells.{{cite journal |last1=Rohn |first1=Jennifer L |last2=Hueber |first2=Anne-Odile |last3=McCarthy |first3=Nicola J |last4=Lyon |first4=Debbie |last5=Navarro |first5=Paloma |last6=Burgering |first6=Boudewijn M Th |last7=Evan |first7=Gerard I |title=The opposing roles of the Akt and c-Myc signalling pathways in survival from CD95-mediated apoptosis |journal=Oncogene |date=7 December 1998 |volume=17 |issue=22 |pages=2811–2818 |doi=10.1038/sj.onc.1202393 |pmid=9879987 |doi-access=free }}{{cite journal |last1=Rohn |first1=Jennifer L. |last2=Zhang |first2=Ying-Hui |last3=Aalbers |first3=Remco I. J. M. |last4=Otto |first4=Norbert |last5=den Hertog |first5=Jeroen |last6=Henriquez |first6=Niek V. |last7=van de Velde |first7=Cornelis J. H. |last8=Kuppen |first8=Peter J. K. |last9=Mumberg |first9=Dominik |last10=Donner |first10=Peter |last11=Noteborn |first11=Mathieu H. M. |title=A Tumor-specific Kinase Activity Regulates the Viral Death Protein Apoptin |journal=Journal of Biological Chemistry |date=27 December 2002 |volume=277 |issue=52 |pages=50820–50827 |doi=10.1074/jbc.M208557200 |pmid=12393903 |doi-access=free }}{{cite journal |last1=Kunda |first1=Patricia |last2=Rohn |first2=Jennifer L. |last3=Baum |first3=Buzz |title=Cell Shape: Taking the Heat |journal=Current Biology |date=June 2008 |volume=18 |issue=11 |pages=R470–R472 |doi=10.1016/j.cub.2008.04.032 |pmid=18522817 |s2cid=17979085 |doi-access=free }}{{cite journal |last1=Rohn |first1=J. L. |last2=Baum |first2=B. |title=Actin and cellular architecture at a glance |journal=Journal of Cell Science |date=4 January 2010 |volume=123 |issue=2 |pages=155–158 |doi=10.1242/jcs.049759 |pmid=20048336 |doi-access=free }} Rohn's current research interests include study of urinary tract infections.{{cite journal |last1=Khasriya |first1=R. |last2=Sathiananthamoorthy |first2=S. |last3=Ismail |first3=S. |last4=Kelsey |first4=M. |last5=Wilson |first5=M. |last6=Rohn |first6=J. L. |last7=Malone-Lee |first7=J. |title=Spectrum of Bacterial Colonization Associated with Urothelial Cells from Patients with Chronic Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms |journal=Journal of Clinical Microbiology |date=17 April 2013 |volume=51 |issue=7 |pages=2054–2062 |doi=10.1128/JCM.03314-12 |pmid=23596238 |pmc=3697662 }} Rohn works with engineers to put antibiotics within core-shell capsules to treat persistent urinary tract infections.{{cite journal |last1=Labbaf |first1=S. |last2=Horsley |first2=H. |last3=Chang |first3=M.-W. |last4=Stride |first4=E. |last5=Malone-Lee |first5=J. |last6=Edirisinghe |first6=M. |last7=Rohn |first7=J. L. |title=An encapsulated drug delivery system for recalcitrant urinary tract infection |journal=Journal of the Royal Society Interface |date=25 September 2013 |volume=10 |issue=89 |pages=20130747 |doi=10.1098/rsif.2013.0747 |pmc=3808553 |pmid=24068180 }} Rohn grows bladder epithelia in culture to test new treatments for urinary tract infections.{{cite journal |last1=Horsley |first1=Harry |last2=Dharmasena |first2=Dhanuson |last3=Malone-Lee |first3=James |last4=Rohn |first4=Jennifer L. |title=A urine-dependent human urothelial organoid offers a potential alternative to rodent models of infection |journal=Scientific Reports |date=19 January 2018 |volume=8 |issue=1 |pages=1238 |doi=10.1038/s41598-018-19690-7 |pmc=5775255 |pmid=29352171 |bibcode=2018NatSR...8.1238H }}
=Publications=
Rohn's first novel, Experimental Heart, was published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press (CSHLP) in 2008.{{cite book |author=Jennifer L. Rohn |title=Experimental Heart: A Novel |publisher=Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press |location=Plainview, N.Y |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-87969-876-8 }}{{page needed|date=April 2019}} This is written in the lab lit genre, which she is well known for championing, and represents a departure for CSHLP, which had previously only published scientific non-fiction. Her second novel, The Honest Look,{{cite book |author=Jennifer L. Rohn |title=The Honest Look |publisher=Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory |location=Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-936113-11-8 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/honestlook0000rohn }}{{page needed|date=April 2019}} was also published by CSHLP in November 2010.{{cite journal |last1=Herndon |first1=Lynne |title=Science, Meet Poetry |journal=Cell |date=December 2010 |volume=143 |issue=7 |pages=1039 |doi=10.1016/j.cell.2010.12.006 |s2cid=32285199 |doi-access=free }} Her third novel, Cat Zero, was published by Bitingduck Press in June 2018. Rohn has also had short fiction,{{cite journal |title=Abstractions |journal=Nature |date=10 January 2008 |volume=451 |issue=7175 |pages=ix |doi=10.1038/7175ixb |bibcode=2008Natur.451R...9. |doi-access=free }}{{cite journal |last1=Herndon |first1=Lynne |title=Splendor in the Lab |journal=Cell |date=December 2008 |volume=135 |issue=7 |pages=1157 |doi=10.1016/j.cell.2008.12.010 |s2cid=43654935 |doi-access=free }}{{cite journal |last1=Rohn |first1=Jennifer |title=More lab in the library |journal=Nature |date=3 June 2010 |volume=465 |issue=7298 |pages=552 |doi=10.1038/465552a |bibcode=2010Natur.465..552R |doi-access=free }}{{cite journal |last1=Rohn |first1=Jennifer |title=The pair-bond imperative |journal=Nature |date=31 July 2008 |volume=454 |issue=7204 |pages=666 |doi=10.1038/454666a |bibcode=2008Natur.454..666R |doi-access=free }} news and opinion published in Nature{{AcademicSearch|54142228}}{{cite journal |last1=Rohn |first1=Jennifer |title=Give postdocs a career, not empty promises |journal=Nature |date=3 March 2011 |volume=471 |issue=7336 |pages=7 |doi=10.1038/471007a |pmid=21368781 |bibcode=2011Natur.471....7R |doi-access=free }}{{cite journal |last1=Rohn |first1=Jennifer |title=Women scientists must speak out |journal=Nature |date=9 December 2010 |volume=468 |issue=7325 |pages=733 |doi=10.1038/468733a |pmid=21150949 |bibcode=2010Natur.468..733R |doi-access=free }}{{cite journal |last1=Rohn |first1=Jennifer |title=Brewing up identity with Billy Bragg |journal=Nature |date=19 April 2010 |doi=10.1038/news.2010.191 }}{{cite journal |last1=Rohn |first1=Jennifer |title=Q&A: On facts and fiction |journal=Nature |date=11 November 2010 |volume=468 |issue=7321 |pages=172 |doi=10.1038/468172a |bibcode=2010Natur.468..172R |doi-access=free }} and The Guardian{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/feb/04/coronavirus-sars-preparedness-investment-wuhan|title=Coronavirus is a deadly test: did the world learn the lessons of Sars?|last=Rohn|first=Jennifer|date=4 February 2020|work=The Guardian}}
=Awards and honours=
In 2011, Rohn won the inaugural Research Fortnight "Achiever of the Year" award,{{cite web|last1=Miriam|first1=Frankel|title=Science is Vital award-winner refocuses campaign on careers|url=http://www.researchresearch.com/index.php?option=com_news&template=rr_2col&view=article&articleId=1136044|website=ResearchResearch.com|access-date=16 February 2015|date=16 November 2011}} and received the Society for Experimental Biology's President's Medal in the Education and Public Affairs Section.http://www.sebiology.org/meetings/Past_Meetings/Glasgow_2011/pres-meds.html Presidents Medallists 2011 She won the Suffrage Science award in 2013.
References
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Category:21st-century American novelists
Category:21st-century American biologists
Category:American women novelists
Category:Academics of University College London
Category:University of Washington alumni
Category:21st-century American women writers
Category:People from Stow, Ohio
Category:Francis Crick Institute alumni