Confidence in the Lab, Clarity in the Future
When Katherine Austin joined Jeffrey Halpern’s SEEDS lab as an undergraduate in 2019, she didn’t expect to have a key role that could impact the future of biomanufacturing. But with federal support, strong mentorship, and real leadership opportunities, she did just that — and it has shaped the course of her career.
Halpern had just received a $6 million award from the National Science Foundation for the project Bio-Inspired On-demand Strategies for Engineering Nanostructured Sensors (BIO-SENS). The goal was to develop biosensors for insulin monitoring in biomanufacturing, as insulin is vital for cell growth. Traditional sampling methods risk contamination, so BIO-SENS researchers aimed to create a continuous sensor that could be placed directly in the reactor to monitor insulin levels in real time. This approach would reduce contamination, improve process control, and make it possible to intervene as soon as problems arise, rather than discovering issues only at the end of the process.
This University of New Hampshire–led collaboration brings together researchers from four universities across four states: UNH, the University of New England, Auburn University, and the University of Wyoming. Each partner plays a distinct role, but the project thrives on teamwork, with student exchanges strengthening the efforts at each institution.
As Principal Investigator, Halpern tapped Katherine to serve as lab manager in the SEEDS lab, a role not typically held by undergraduate students in other research labs. In addition to overseeing lab operations, Katherine led a key component of the project: testing and optimizing the insulin recognition element at the heart of the biosensor to ensure it would still bind effectively when attached to surfaces. She worked independently, honing skills in cross-institutional collaboration, experiment design, technical writing, and scientific communication. As a result, she developed an increased confidence to do independent research and built a network of peers and mentors she still draws on today.
The recipient of a U.S. Army SMART fellowship, Katherine spent the year after she graduated in 2023 as a Department of Defense risk assessor at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds. She is now a doctoral student in chemical engineering at the University of Delaware and has received NSF’s prestigious Graduate Research Fellowship to continue her education.
Katherine’s story is a powerful reminder that federal investments in science do more than advance research. They help cultivate the next generation of scientists.
She encourages undergraduates to pursue research opportunities whenever they can. Even for those who don’t plan to pursue STEM careers, the collaboration, communication, and confidence developed through hands-on research are valuable in any field. As Katherine noted, “It wasn’t just the science that stuck with me. It was the confidence and independence I built along the way.”
Support for the NH EPSCoR Bio-Inspired On-demand Strategies for Engineering Nanostructured Sensors (BIO-SENS) Project is provided by the National Science Foundation's Research Infrastructure Improvement Award #2119237.