Get to Know Saunia Withers

My Career Journey

I'm originally from a little town in northern Kentucky called Fort Thomas. My parents are in banking, and the high schools and college prep resources in that area were focused on business. We had just one generic science class in high school, and even though I thought the organic chemistry part was interesting, the teacher said, "Women don't really do science." I might have been the last age group in the region to hear that message. 

When I left for Hocking Technical College in southeast Ohio, the whole world opened up. I had never experienced such widespread acceptance of women studying scientific subjects. I thought my only career options were secretary, accountant, teacher, counselor, or waitress. Now there were other possibilities. I went into nursing at first because I was fascinated by human anatomy and biology. When I realized how interesting it was to study other organisms, I switched to fish and wildlife management. Then I merged the two by studying herbology, looking at nutritional and medicinal uses of plants. Eventually I transferred to Ohio University, where I studied geology. I think I was exploring all those scientific disciplines because I hadn't had the chance in high school.

For my senior thesis, I contributed to a research project that resulted in a publication. I went to Bolivia to study magnetostratigraphy – matching the magnetic signature preserved in rock strata to the magnetic field of the earth over time, to get an approximate age for the rocks. When I discovered how relatively easy that was, and how much information came from it, I fell in love with research. After graduating, I accepted a position as a research technician at Michigan State University, working with a group studying plants as a potential source for biofuels.

I met my husband while in college at Hocking. We both studied at Ohio University, and then he got his PhD in HHMI Investigator Sheng Yang He's lab at Michigan State while I was working in research there. Eventually we moved to North Carolina, so I could manage a lab at North Carolina State University, and he could do a postdoc at Duke. That gave me the opportunity to study plant pathogens. When Sheng Yang moved his lab to Duke, he hired me as his lab manager. During my training, I realized that I could use the account management, customer service, and business skills prioritized by my parents and former teachers to help support the lab. 

My Work

Our lab is trying to understand how plants and microbes interact in the context of plant disease and climate stress. We typically have between 16 and 20 researchers working on a range of projects.

The lab's connection with HHMI means we have a much larger lab than we'd have otherwise, and improved resources – not just financial, but technological. In my non-HHMI lab, I kept track of budgets through spreadsheets, but in my current role I can go into our P2P system and search for any purchase order. HHMI's support system is amazing. If there is something I want to learn more about, I can search the Resources page on Hughes Hub and find step-by-step guides.

Another responsibility is training our undergraduate students in skills such as preparing solutions, making media, improving sterile technique, and more. I mentor the undergraduate researchers on a variety of projects, which entails devising project plans they can accomplish within their limited student schedules while developing their research techniques.

My Hobbies

My daughter is eight, and I love spending time with her and my husband. I have played the cello since 2009, and she has started to play the piano. She writes instrumental pieces inspired by her pets, nature, the stars, and holidays. One of my favorites was inspired by Halloween. She teaches us her songs and we play along. My husband plays guitar, and he kind of holds us together. 

We also like to swim – at the pool, in rivers, the ocean, anywhere. One of our favorite spots is the New River, in northwest North Carolina. We've started rollerblading as a family, too. It's been a while for me, and I have to say, learning how to rollerblade with an older body is a challenge!

Interview and article by John Lingan - HHMI Senior Employee Communication Specialist