Researcher of the Year Joanna Burdette

Joanna Burdette
Distinguished Researcher, Basic Life Sciences
Professor of pharmaceutical sciences

Years at UIC: 13

What are your research interests?
Ovarian cancer and natural products drug discovery

How did you become interested in these topics?
I became interested in these topics because of great mentors, the importance of the disease, and the utility of natural compounds in understanding biological systems. 

What do you teach?
I teach biomedicinal chemistry, methods in natural products research, and how to think about, perform and publish primary basic science research.

How do you balance teaching and research?
I mostly research, but I balance all of my other commitments with help from many talented people. 

What’s your advice to students who want to focus their future careers on research?
Be persistent. Research takes time, and you often fail. The people who survive know how to get up the next day and keep going.