Krissy Lyon. Image: John Soares
By her own admission, Krissy Lyon, a graduate student in the Harvard Medical School Program in Neuroscience, is a latecomer to science.
Growing up in the suburbs of Phoenix, Arizona, Lyon said science was always part of the family dinner table conversation because both her parents are veterinarians—but they never pushed her to follow their career path, instead encouraging her to pursue her own dreams.
“I just thought that the brain was so cool, and I wanted to learn more.” —Krissy Lyon
Lyon studied ballet, played musical instruments and acted in school plays. Her heart and her future, she thought, lay in the arts.
Lyon decided on the small Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon, for her undergraduate studies. By her junior year, having already taken many of the electives offered, she concentrated on psychology and biology. It was while studying functions of the brain in both sciences that Lyon suddenly discovered a new interest.
“I just thought that the brain was so cool, and I wanted to learn more,” she said. “How does your brain make behavior?”
Naturally Curious
One of Lyon’s professors soon took note of her increasing curiosity and nominated her for the Exceptional Research Opportunities Program sponsored by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). The competitive summer internship provides research experience for talented, underrepresented students and encourages them to pursue careers in academic science.
Lyon earned a spot. She conducted neuroscience research at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and recalls her experience as invaluable because she was exposed to the work of several noted neuroscientists and the various techniques they were using in their research.
At Hopkins, Lyon worked in the laboratory of David Ginty, an accomplished neuroscientist, developmental biologist and HHMI investigator who is now at HMS. The research centered on mouse genetics and the molecular events that govern development of a central nervous system. From early on, Ginty remembers, Lyon displayed the right combination of motivation and curiosity to make science a good fit for her.
Just a few months earlier, she had spent a semester in Italy studying art history. Now, she found herself working in a lab where medical history could be made.
After graduating from Lewis and Clark, Lyon returned to Ginty’s lab.
“Krissy stayed on as a research associate for two years, learning more about science and about possible career opportunities. It served as a stepping stone for her to move into a graduate program,” Ginty said.
During that time, Ginty moved to HMS, where he is now the Edward R. & Anne G. Lefler Professor of Neurobiology. Lyon continued her work as his research assistant and was soon approved to begin graduate studies at HMS.
Behavioral Studies
Having now completed her second year in the PhD program in neuroscience, Lyon is continuing her research in the lab of Susan Dymecki, HMS professor of genetics and director of the Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program.
Lyon’s work in the Dymecki lab is primarily focused on serotonin neurons and their involvement in aggression and hyperactivity.
“Serotonin is involved in behaviors, and at the end of the day that’s what I’m interested in: how the brain does what it does,” Lyon said.
She hopes to complete her doctorate in five years total. Her next three years are supported by the Gilliam Fellowship for Advanced study through HHMI.
Outside Interests
While Lyon is passionate about her research in brain functions, she still finds time for outside interests. She continues to take ballet, serves as the graphics editor for Science In the News through Harvard’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and is co-director of an HMS group that works to foster a sense of community among women in neuroscience.
She hasn’t forgotten her heritage, either. Growing up, she enjoyed hearing about her Native American roots from her father, who’s part Navajo. Now, Lyon works as a mentor/teacher in the Native American High School Summer Program at HMS. The program brings together high school students from two Native American tribes to learn about the science behind substance abuse and addiction, both of which present health care challenges in their communities.
“It’s nice for them to see someone who looks like them who is actually working in science,” she said.
Chosen Path
The experience has led her to follow a new dream: She hopes to one day have her own research laboratory that will help inform clinicians about mental health issues.
It’s becoming more apparent each day that while she’s a long way from where she started, Lyon is well down her chosen path in life.
