Renate Lux – RUA PI, UCLA
Renate Lux, Associate Dean, Division of Graduate Education & Professor at the School of Dentistry, UCLA
RUA Affiliation: Principal Investigator (PI) of the UCLA RUA National Science Foundation (NSF) AGEP grant
What is your field of study and why did you choose it?
My field is Oral microbiology (interspecies interactions, biofilms, microbiome in health and disease). I was fascinated with the adaptability of microorganisms and the array of different strategies they use to survive in a vast variety of different environments including the human body.
Why did you choose to participate in RUA activities?
At UCLA the Division of Graduate Education has been part of the NSF-AGEP grant that supports RUA and its predecessor, the California Alliance. As an Associate Dean involved in graduate education and postdoctoral services, I was intrigued by the RUA model and became one of the UCLA PIs.
What is a highlight of your RUA participation?
The networking and sense of community with RUA participants and the partner institutions.
What’s one thing that you think everyone should read?
“I Contain Multitudes – The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life” by Ed Yong
Is there anything else you would like to share about your experiences with RUA?
RUA has a lot of potential that can be developed into something powerful.
