More than a steppingstone

Allison Didychuk, Ph.D. ’12 reflects on her time at University of Jamestown.

In high school, I was fortunate to have excellent teachers in music, biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics. One of them encouraged me to apply to Jamestown College and pursue science (I was considering a music performance major). I applied and was offered the opportunity to compete for the Wilson Scholarship. When I visited for my interview, I fell in love with the campus and the idea of a liberal arts education.

Winning the Wilson Scholarship made it possible for me to attend Jamestown College, and it started me on my journey to becoming a scientist.

When I arrived on campus in summer 2008, I met with my advisor—Anthony Amaro—to talk about my course selections. I asked if I could transfer my AP credits and take higher level courses. He described my plan as overambitious, but graciously agreed.

I ended up skipping parts of freshman orientation to study for an exam, proctored by Dr. Carl Steffan, that would let me skip General Chemistry I & II and move on to Organic Chemistry. I passed. This move ultimately allowed me to complete the requirements for three majors—Chemistry, Biology, and Mathematics—in four years.

Dr. Amaro and Steffan’s willingness to go the extra mile and give a new student extra attention before the semester even started was in no way a unique experience.

The professors in the science departments—particularly Dr. Bruce Jensen, Dr. Carl Steffan, and Ashish Patel—were incredibly supportive of me. They went above and beyond to explain concepts inside and outside the classroom, help me navigate my path in academia, and help me grow as a person.

My course work in molecular biology, genetics, and biochemistry—along with my summer research experiences at the Plant Biotechnology Institute (Saskatoon, SK)— convinced me that I wanted to pursue a career in research. In my last semester at Jamestown, I gave a presentation at the Alpha Chi super-regional convention called “Hammerhead Ribozymes and the RNA World”. This fascination with catalytic RNA led me to graduate work with Samuel Butcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (Bruce Jensen’s alma mater—a major factor in my decision to apply there). There, I studied the catalytic RNA that sits in the core of the spliceosome.

I went on to do postdoctoral research with Britt Glaunsinger at the University of California, Berkeley to investigate the fundamental biology of human herpesviruses. I have now launched my own lab to continue this research in the Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry Department at Yale University.

I’m excited to return to a liberal arts institution where I can perform cutting-edge research and educate the next generation of scientists and citizens. I hope to live up to the examples set by my mentors—in teaching at Jamestown and in research at UWMadison and UC Berkeley—and use my position to make academia a more diverse, equitable, and accessible space.

When I reflect on my experience at Jamestown, I am of course thankful for the generosity of the Wilson family, for the personal attention and affection I was given from members of the Jamestown community, and for the education I received that set me up for success in graduate school.

But my experience at Jamestown was more than an academic steppingstone. I am most thankful for having the time with my family, who lived within driving distance and whose support was crucial throughout my college experience. My sister, Sarah, two years my junior, also attended Jamestown (and won the Wilson Scholarship). We were able to room together my senior year and connect in a way that I am grateful for every single day.

About the Author

Dr. Didychuk works as an Assistant

Professor in the Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry Department at Yale University, where she leads a research team that studies the molecular machines of herpesviruses. Previously, she graduated summa cum laude from University of

Jamestown with Bachelor of Science degrees in Biology, Chemistry, and Mathematics. Dr. Didychuk went on to earn her PhD in Biophysics from University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2017 and was the Rhee Family Fellow of the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation at University of California, Berkeley from 2018-2022.