Theresa Oei
Theresa Oei | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1993 (age 32–33) Connecticut, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Yale University (BS) Harvard University (PhD) |
| Known for | Biomedical research; New England Patriots cheerleading |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Chemical biology, epigenetics, genetics |
| Workplaces | Broad Institute Harvard University Massachusetts General Hospital |
| Thesis | Investigating the Function of Canonical Polycomb Repressive Complex 1 Condensation (2024) |
Theresa Oei is an American biomedical researcher and former National Football League cheerleader. Oei received regional and national media coverage in 2016 and 2017 for working in gene-editing research at the Broad Institute while also serving as a rookie cheerleader for the New England Patriots.[1][2]
Early life and education
Oei is from Hebron, Connecticut.[2] As a middle-school student, she became a finalist in the 2006 Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge for an environmental-science project.[3] A minor planet, 22784 Theresaoei, was later named for her; the naming citation identifies her as Theresa A. Oei, born in 1993, a finalist in the 2006 Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge who attended the Oei Home School in Hebron, Connecticut.[4] The asteroid, provisionally designated 1999 JM43, is a main-belt asteroid discovered by the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research program.[5]
In high school, Oei attended East Catholic High School in Manchester, Connecticut.[6] In 2008, the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering listed her as the Connecticut Science Fair first-place winner in the senior division for physical sciences for a project titled "Use of Seashells to Detoxify Lead-Contaminated Effluent and Groundwater".[7] The National Museum of Education later described her lead-removal project as an inexpensive filter using crushed seashells as the filtering medium.[8] In 2011, the U.S. Department of Education listed Oei as one of Connecticut's U.S. Presidential Scholars.[6]
Oei graduated from Yale University in 2015 with a degree in molecular biophysics and biochemistry.[2] At Yale, she wrote for the Yale Scientific Magazine, including articles on rare genetic diseases, Ebola, star formation, and other research topics.[9] Yale College Arts records also list her participation in dance and performance productions as a choreographer, director, producer, and performer between 2012 and 2015.[10] In 2015, Oei was elected into the Wolf's Head Society.[11]
Scientific career
Yale and Broad Institute
As an undergraduate at Yale, Oei co-authored a 2015 Journal of Virology article on microRNAs encoded by Herpesvirus saimiri.[12]
After graduating from Yale, Oei worked at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. CBS Boston reported in 2017 that she was studying gene-editing techniques at the Broad Institute, where her team used gene-editing research to better understand genetic diseases and cancer.[1]
Harvard doctoral work
Harvard Medical School's Chemical Biology PhD program listed Oei as a graduate student in the Kingston Lab, advised by Robert Kingston, beginning in 2017.[13] Her doctoral work focused on canonical Polycomb Repressive Complex 1 condensation and epigenetic regulation.[14] In 2020, the Karin Grunebaum Cancer Research Foundation listed Oei, then a third-year graduate student in chemical biology in the Kingston Lab, for a project titled "Understanding Polycomb Phase Separation in Neuroblastoma Epigenetics".[15]
New England Patriots cheerleading
Oei became a rookie member of the New England Patriots cheerleading squad in 2016.[2] A Journal Inquirer profile reported that she had studied ballet and Irish step dance and saw the Patriots audition process as a way to continue dancing while working in science.[2] The same profile described her as a world-ranked Irish step dance competitor and classically trained ballet dancer.[2]
During the 2016 Patriots season, Oei balanced Broad Institute laboratory work with Patriots practices, games, and community appearances.[1][16] CBS Boston profiled her in January 2017 in a segment on her work in gene editing and cheerleading, noting that she was then applying to graduate school.[1] The Glastonbury Citizen reported that she cheered during the Patriots' 2016 season, including the team's run to Super Bowl LI in Houston, where New England defeated the Atlanta Falcons.[16]
Oei also described the public-facing role as a way to encourage young students, especially girls, to see science as accessible and compatible with other pursuits.[1][2]
Selected publications
- Guo, Y. Eric; Oei, Theresa; Steitz, Joan A. (November 2015). "Herpesvirus saimiri MicroRNAs Preferentially Target Host Cell Cycle Regulators". Journal of Virology. 89 (21): 10901–10911. doi:10.1128/JVI.01884-15. PMC 4621106. PMID 26292323.
- Jaensch, Emily S.; Zhu, Jun; Cochrane, Joshua C.; Marr, Sharon K.; Oei, Theresa A.; Damle, Manashree; McCaslin, Ethan Z.; Kingston, Robert E. (2021). "A Polycomb domain found in committed cells impairs differentiation when introduced into PRC1 in pluripotent cells". Molecular Cell. 81: 4677-4691.e8. doi:10.1016/j.molcel.2021.09.018. PMC 8966356. PMID 34637753.
- Niekamp, Stefan; Marr, Sharon K.; Oei, Theresa A.; Subramanian, Radhika; Kingston, Robert E. (May 2, 2024). "Modularity of PRC1 composition and chromatin interaction define condensate properties". Molecular Cell. 84 (9): 1651-1666.e12. doi:10.1016/j.molcel.2024.03.001. PMC 11234260. PMID 38521066.
- Oei, Theresa Ann (2024). Investigating the Function of Canonical Polycomb Repressive Complex 1 Condensation (Ph.D. thesis). Harvard University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
Awards and honors
- Finalist, 2006 Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge[3]
- Connecticut Science Fair first place, physical sciences, senior division, 2008[7]
- Namesake of 22784 Theresaoei[5]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 LaCrosse, Mike (January 19, 2017). "Patriots Cheerleader Spends Days Studying Gene Editing". CBS News Boston. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Shigo, Nicholas (April 13, 2016). "Hebron native steps out of 'nerdy scientist box' - to cheer for Patriots". Journal Inquirer. Retrieved June 25, 2026 – via Ultimate Cheerleaders.
- 1 2 "Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge 2006". Society for Science. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
- ↑ Schmadel, Lutz D. (2009). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names: Addendum to Fifth Edition: 2006-2008. Springer. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
- 1 2 "(22784) Theresaoei = 1999 JM43". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
- 1 2 3 "U.S. Presidential Scholars Program - Scholars, May 2011" (PDF). United States Department of Education. May 2011. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
- 1 2 Annual Report 2007-2008 (PDF) (Report). Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering. 2008. p. 21. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
- ↑ "Theresa Oei". National Museum of Education. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
- ↑ "Theresa Oei". Yale College Arts. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
- ↑ ""Big Three" Taps". Rumpus. Vol. 22, no. 2. New Haven, Connecticut: R.T.A. Publications. June 2015. p. 6.
- ↑ Guo, Y. Eric; Oei, Theresa; Steitz, Joan A. (November 2015). "Herpesvirus saimiri MicroRNAs Preferentially Target Host Cell Cycle Regulators". Journal of Virology. 89 (21): 10901–10911. doi:10.1128/JVI.01884-15. PMC 4621106. PMID 26292323.
- ↑ "Theresa Oei". Chemical Biology PhD. Harvard Medical School. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
- ↑ "Investigating the Function of Canonical Polycomb Repressive Complex 1 Condensation". DASH. Harvard University. 2024. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
- ↑ "From the Chair" (PDF). Karin Grunebaum Cancer Research Foundation. December 2020. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
- 1 2 Sandberg, Geeta S. (February 17, 2017). "Hebron Native Spends Season as Patriots Cheerleader" (PDF). Glastonbury Citizen. p. 5. Retrieved June 25, 2026.