Spring semester 2026 was marked by milestones and success for Cailin Smith, a graduating PhD student in Rebecca Roston's lab.
On March 9 she earned an "Outstanding Graduate Research & Creative Activities Award" from the Office of Graduate Studies at UNL, and a month later, successfully defended her dissertation, "On the Transport of Chloroplast Lipids," in the Department of Biochemistry.
When Roston told Cailin she was being nominated for the award, Cailin was deep in dissertation mode and put it out of her thoughts. So, when she was notified that she won, it was an unexpected surprise.
Cailin began her PhD studies in 2021, and joined the Roston Lab in 2022. Her research focuses on how chloroplast membranes get made, particularly the innermost membrane, the thylakoid, which is the site of photosynthesis.
"It's where all of the calories you eat get made," said Cailin, "so it's pretty important."
Cailin plans to spend the next 2-3 years in Lincoln while her partner completes graduate school. Her short term plans are to gain as much job experience as she can to acquire skills she can use for her long-term career goals, which include work in environmental and science policy in government or a non-governmental organization.
"I'm going to do as many cool things as I can and have as many cool jobs as possible," said Cailin, "maybe some administrative experience since I'm transitioning from being a grad student to policy."
While she isn't focused a career in academia at the moment, she can see herself potentially teaching in an institution primarily focused on undergraduates at some point in the future.
"I would probably enjoy teaching some day," she added, "I've enjoyed interacting with students my whole student career."