Dr. O'Donnell received her B.S. degree in Biochemistry and M.S. degree in Biology from the University of New Brunswick (Canada). During her Masters thesis work she identified genes needed for de novo purine biosynthesis in Drosophila melanogaster and characterized the developmental defects associated with mutations in these genes. Dr. O'Donnell went on to receive her Ph.D. in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology from Dalhousie University (Canada) where she studied the role of the FACT histone chaperone complex in chromatin remodeling.

During her post-doctoral research at Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley Dr. O'Donnell began her studies of a class of protein trafficking adaptors, now referred to as the α-arrestins. Her research has shown that α-arrestins regulate trafficking of G-protein coupled receptors, but also operate in unexpected trafficking pathways, including endosomal recycling and clathrin-independent endocytosis. Using Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model, she has identified α-arrestin interactions with signaling regulators, cargos and vesicle coat proteins, and has begun to define the molecular mechanisms underlying α-arrestin-mediated trafficking. Her research applies insights gained in yeast to target studies on the relatively unstudied mammalian α-arrestins.

Education History

Courses Taught

Fall 2015:

BIOL 115 Advanced General Biology I

2010-2012

University of California at Berkeley

Postdoctoral Fellow

2004-2010

Stanford University

Postdoctoral Fellow