Dr. Karen Oegema

Professor

Build a Statement of Purpose

Generate a tailored SOP for Dr. Karen Oegema. Improve your application with a focused, well-structured draft.

Biography

Karen Oegema received her PhD in Cell Biology from the University of California, San Francisco, and conducted postdoctoral work at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Heidelberg and the Max Planck Institute for Cell Biology & Genetics in Dresden. Her lab focuses on the interface between cell and cancer biology with a long-term interest in the molecular machinery underlying mitosis and cytokinesis. Recent research revealed significant variations in cell-type-specific cell division accomplished through distinct mechanisms. A major current focus is to determine differences leveraged to induce cell death due to aberrant mitosis, advancing chemotherapeutic strategies. Notably, her work on centrosomes has explored the therapeutic potential of centrosome removal in cancer, collaborating with the Small Molecule Discovery Group at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research to develop a Plk4 inhibitor. The lab also aims to generate a phenotypic map of genes essential for embryonic development in the model organism C. elegans, employing high-content approaches based on time-lapse imaging to understand tissue specification and morphogenesis during embryogenesis.

Research Interests

Experience

Professor

— Present

University of California, San Diego • La Jolla, CA

Leading research in cell and cancer biology, focusing on molecular machinery underlying mitosis and cytokinesis.

Awards

#

Pew Fellow

#

WICB Early Mid-Career Awards

Requirements for University of California, San Diego

Doctorate Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3
TOEFL
Total
Required:85
IELTS
Overall
Required:7
Duolingo
Overall Score
Required:120
Overall
Required:120
Prerequisites
Bachelor's degree in physical, biological, or earth sciences, mathematics, or engineering. Differential and integral calculus. One year of calculus-based physics with laboratory. One year of chemistry with laboratory.
Application Checklist
  • Statement of Purpose (max 2 pages)
  • Unofficial transcripts
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Curriculum Vitae (CV)
  • Application fee ($135 domestic / $155 international)
Specialization Notes

Administered by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Curricular groups include Climate-Ocean-Atmosphere (COAP), Geosciences (GEO), and Ocean Biosciences (OBP).