Patricia Blair
ORNL is proud of its role in fostering the next generation of scientists and engineers. We bring in talented young researchers, team them with accomplished scientists and engineers, and put them to work at the lab’s one-of-a-kind facilities. The result is research that makes us proud and prepares them for distinguished careers.
We asked some of these young researchers why they chose a career in science, what they are working on at ORNL, and where they would like to go with their careers.
Patricia Blair
Postdoc, Biosciences Division
Ph.D., Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Hometown: Lenexa, Kansas
What are you working on at ORNL?
In the Plant-Microbe Interfaces Science Focus Area, we study organisms living in the plant microbiome and how those organisms interact with one another as well as with the host plant. Specifically, I study signaling molecules and antibiotics that soil-dwelling bacteria produce in order to colonize plants and prevent disease.
What would you like to do in your career?
I aim to plan and implement scientific research for the government, applying analytical and environmental chemistry as well as chemical biology to better understand the natural environment as well as the effects of human society on the environment.
Why did you choose a career in science?
While my main motivation for studying science is my faith, I also find science challenging and satisfying as a discipline. The challenging problems motivate me to work diligently and learn constantly, and the endless supply of questions to be answered fosters my curiosity about the natural world.