Biological Research, Science Communication, Science Teaching

Olga Pekar, Ph.D. **-** **th Street, Astoria, New York, NY 11105 347-***-**** ******@*****.***

Molecular biologist passionate about science communication and science teaching.

Highlights: Author of 8 publications in peer-reviewed journals. Extensive expertise in cell and developmental biology research. Accomplishments in science communication projects. Successful experience in managing, mentoring and teaching.

Professional Experience:

January 2018 - current

Adjunct Associate Professor, New York City College of Technology - The City University of New York (CUNY), New York, NY 11201

Taught General Biology course, including lectures and laboratory sessions

Prepared course material such as lectures, assignments, quizzes and exams

Developed custom curriculum, learning and evaluation materials for students with a disadvantaged background

Helped students to communicate and solve learning difficulties

March 2012 – January 2018

Postdoctoral Associate, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY 10016

Developed research plans and performed experiments to study how the environment affects the development of stem cells in C. elegans, by testing the interaction of two major signaling pathways involved in cancer development

Presented research at Developmental Genetics and Stem Cell departmental meetings (2013-current)

Supervised and mentored undergraduate student researcher within participation in Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) as a lab mentor

Wrote three grant proposals and a summarizing research paper

March 2014 – July 2015

Initiator and Co-Founder, Bio-Art collaboration Wild Type Lab, New York, NY

https://www.facebook.com/artscopes/

Initiated the idea and created collaboration between research scientists and multimedia artists promoting interest in basic scientific research

Chose/interviewed the participants and organized/curated a collaborative show

Applied for and successfully received interdepartmental grant of $1500

Managed the collaborative process by organizing weekly meetings and presentations of the work in progress

October 2006-January 2012

Ph.D. student, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel

Developed research plans and performed experiments to investigate a novel nuclear role of endocytic proteins

Designed and wrote multiple research papers accepted to peer-reviewed journals, such as Journal of Cell Science, Biochemical Journal and more

Presented research at Cell Research and Immunology departmental meetings

Instructed faculty members and students to use microscopes and supervised their work on microscopes

Olga Pekar, Ph.D. 20-69 28th Street, Astoria, New York, NY 11105 347-***-**** ******@*****.***

Business and Leadership Development:

Business of Science Certification Course, New York University Langone Medical Center, 2014

Confident Communicators of Science, New York University Langone Medical Center, 2015

Medical Communications, New York University Langone Medical Center, 2017

Honors:

Invited speaker, The Allied Genetics Conference (TAGC), FL, 2016

Invited speaker, Germ Cell Meeting, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, NY, 2016

Invited speaker, 6th Congress of FISEB, Israel, 2011

Education:

Ph.D., Cell Biology

Tel-Aviv University, 2012

Thesis: “Studies on the endocytic and the nuclear roles of EHDs”. Mentor Dr. Mia Horowitz, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences

M.Sc., Developmental Biology

Tel-Aviv University, 2006

Thesis: “Identification of interaction between p53, caspases and transcription factor

NF-κB in mouse embryos exposed to a teratogenic stress”. Mentors Dr. Vladimir Toder and Dr. Arkady Torchinsky, Sackler Faculty of Medicine

B. Sc., Biology

Tel-Aviv University, 2003

Selected Publications:

Pekar O., Ow M. C., Hui K. Y., Noyes M. B., Hall S. E. and Hubbard E. J. A. Linking the environment, DAF-7/TGF-β signaling and LAG-2/DSL ligand expression in the germline stem cell niche. Development. 2017; 144(16):2896-2906.

Cabasso O.*, Pekar O.* and Horowitz M. SUMOylation of EHD3 modulates tubulation of endocytic

recycling compartment. PLoS One. 2015; 10(7):e0134053. *equal contribution.

Pekar O., Benjamin S., Weidberg H., Smaldone S., Ramirez F. and Horowitz M. EHD2 shuttles to the nucleus and represses transcription. Biochem J. 2012; 444(3):383-94.

Pekar O., Molotski N., Savion S., Fein A., Toder V. and Torchinsky A. p53 regulates cyclophosphamide teratogenesis by controlling caspases 3, 8, 9 activation and NF-kappaB DNA binding. Reproduction. 2007; 134(2):379-88.

Olswang-Kutz Y., Gertel Y., Benjamin S., Sela O., Pekar O., Arama E., Steller H., Horowitz M. and Segal D. Drosophila Past1 is involved in endocytosis and is required for germline development and survival of the adult fly. J Cell Sci. 2009; 122:471-80.

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