Nicolas Peterson’s path to graduate school was somewhat unconventional. After completing his undergraduate studies, Peterson began a career as a forensic scientist in toxicology for the New York State Police. In this role, Peterson used mass spectrometry to identify controlled substances in biological specimens, summarized his findings in reports and testified in court. His work co-developing a novel mass spectrometric method inspired him to switch directions and explore research in an academic setting.
Peterson earned his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry in 2013 from the State University of New York, College at Geneseo. Before applying to graduate school, Peterson volunteered at the University at Albany in the laboratory of Gabriele Fuchs, PhD. There he studied the role of the Gli3 transcription factor in Kallmann syndrome, a genetic disorder characterized by hypogonadotropic hypogonadism.
Peterson currently works in the lab of Paul Thomas, PhD, Department of Immunology.
Hometown: Brooklyn, New York
Publications
Odé Z, Condori J, Peterson NB, Zhou S, Krenciute G. CRISPR-Mediated Non-Viral Site-Specific Gene Integration and Expression in T Cells: Protocol and Application for T-Cell Therapy. Cancers, 2020;12(6):1704.
Taroc EZM, Naik AS, Lin JM, Peterson NB, Keefe DL Jr, Genis E, Fuchs G, Balasubramanian R, Forni PE. Gli3 Regulates Vomeronasal Neurogenesis, Olfactory Ensheathing Cell Formation, and GnRH-1 Neuronal Migration. J Neurosci. 2020;40(2):311-326.