Carmen Arrington

Carmen Arrington is a graduate of the Nutritional Sciences doctoral program and received her degree in May 2024. She currently lives in California and works for the USDA Agricultural Research Service as a research geneticist at the Western Human Nutrition Center.

Why did you pursue a degree from Penn State Nutritional Sciences?

I pursued my degree in Nutritional Sciences from Penn State because of the unique connection that I had with my advisor, Dr. Greg Shearer, from the very beginning of my application process. Dr. Shearer was very encouraging and clear about what I could accomplish with a PhD in Nutritional Sciences. I had just finished my BA in Biology and was interested in preventative health and science, so working with Dr. Shearer in lipid metabolism and cardiovascular disease was a great avenue to continue developing my skills and interests in this area.

How would you describe your current position and what impact(s) are you seeking to make?

My current position provides structure and flexibility for me to tangibly add to ongoing research projects as well as begin to develop my own research interests. Working as a research geneticist has allowed me to hone my statistical and genetic data analytical skills. There are several large datasets in which I am applying these skills and my current position and colleagues have been integral to helping me understand how to process these datasets.

I hope to make an impact in precision health by identifying unique traits and qualities within an individual’s metabolic and genetic makeup that are associated or causative within disease and treatment pathways.

How did your degree from Penn State help you to get to your current position?

Penn State helped me get to my current position largely due to network connections and talking to the right people at conferences. I was introduced to my current supervisor at the American Society for Nutrition conference in the months prior to my defense and my training at Penn State. The research I was presented there had set me up to connect and advertise myself well. Penn State supplied me with the resources and confidence to make and sustain that connection and the reputation to follow through.

What would you describe as the biggest opportunity and the biggest challenge in the field?

I think the biggest opportunity in my field is the improving access to technology and the spread of information. I have been in this specific field only for a few years, but I feel like I could learn anything I want just by searching PubMed or learning more about coding through Google. There is an immense opportunity to apply yourself.

Additionally, my specific field of precision nutrition and nutrigenomics will benefit a lot from advances and access to genetic technology in the next several years. The challenge with both of those opportunities, however, is the potential for the field to be flooded which will make it potentially more difficult to stand out and make a difference.

What advice do you have for other graduates just starting out?

My advice for new graduates would be to simply stay open-minded. It is very easy to feel like wherever you are right now, is where you will be for a long time or to feel stuck. My experience in graduate school showed me that my whole perspective and trajectory can change, quite easily, and for the best. Additionally, I would advise them to keep people around who will maintain that perspective with and for them and support them in what they actually want to do, not just for what they feel like they should do!