Problem Solver
Robin Webster
Areas Robin Webster is Knowledgeable in:
The area I have the greatest expertise in is epigenetics. To understand epigenetics, a scientist must understand cellular biology, molecular biology, and genetics. It would be easy for me to understand most, if not all, research being published in these areas. As a freelance writer in health and science I have found myself becoming increasingly conversant in biomedicine, especially with respect to the healthcare issues nurses face in a contemporary care setting.
Techniques Robin Webster Uses:
I am good at formulating series of questions that will take me closer to answering a problem. This process usually begins in the library and results in the building of a knowledge foundation from which more directed questions can be asked. At some point, the knowledge acquired reaches a critical mass and it becomes obvious that I can begin to propose experiments that will further that particular field of research.
Robin Webster's Problem Solving Skills:
- ELISA - kits
- Flow Cytometry
- Cell Culture - primary human, transformed mammalian, tranfections, siRNA knockdowns
- Chromatin Immunoprecipitation
- real-time RT-PCR
- quantitative PCR
- Freelance Writing in Health and Science
- Successful NIH Grant Proposal Writing
- Postdoctorate and Staff Scientist Research
- Cell Biology Research Methods
- Immunology Research Methods
- Molecular Biology Research Methods
- DNase I Hypersensitive Site Mapping
- CpG Methylation Analysis
- Restriction Mapping
- Sequencing
- Cloning
- Genomic Southern Blots
- Western Blots
- Research in Health and Science
Robin Webster's Problem Solving Experience:
- When I began my graduate research project in developmental neurobiology I gravitated towards investigating what role chromatin plays in neuronal lineage selection and differentiation. These experiments led me to develop a protocol from published articles for mapping DNase I hypersensitive sites across a locus required for the determination and differentiation of a subset of neurons. This protocol was new to the laboratory and department, so I was on my own.
- I helped write and coauthor at least two NIH grants: an R01 renewal and an R21 proposal. I was responsible for writing the methods section for the R01 renewal and conceiving of and writing the first of two specific aims for the R21. Both were successful and the score for the R21 was so good that funding was assumed well in advance of the formal decision.
- As a postdoctoral researcher I developed a protocol, from published protocols, for isolating naïve CD4 T cells from human umbilical cords. The isolated cells were characterized by flow cytometry before in vitro differentiation into Th1 and Th2 effector phenotypes over a period of several weeks. This was a new protocol for the laboratory, department, and university campus, so I was pretty much on my own. The cells thus generated were used by several researchers in the laboratory and contributed to publication of two peer-reviewed research articles.