ReFigure was envisioned by Girija Goyal and James Akin to address an unmet need in scientific communication and early career scientists-making every experiment and every figure an actionable, creditable finding without losing the context that comes with the traditional story-telling of full length publications.
Meet the Team
- Abena Mantey, Intern
Abena Mantey has been working as a ReFigure intern since before she graduated from Gordon College in December of 2017. She has interests in biomedical research, healthcare and medicine. She has also since graduation worked as a lab research trainee at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. One of the things that she likes about working for ReFigure is the fact that she gets to learn more about scientific literature and research as part of her work.
- Kevin O’Brien, User Outreach Specialist
Kevin started his research career while an undergraduate at the College of the Holy Cross. He worked in the laboratory of Kenneth Mills, characterizing the biochemical mechanism of protein splicing. Getting his bachelor’s degree at an undergraduate-only institution taught Kevin how important undergraduate research can be for shaping a student’s career. His experience also highlighted the challenges that some students at smaller schools face when trying to access the scientific literature. After Holy Cross he began his Ph.D. at the University of Georgia in the department of microbiology, working in the laboratory of Vincent Starai, where he characterized the cellular effects of a secreted effector protein from the human pathogen, Legionella pneumophila. The effector alters normal eukaryotic endosomal trafficking which, in the context of an infection, likely prevents the bacteria-laden vacuole from fusing with the lysosome. In addition to research, Kevin took a special interest in training and mentoring undergraduate students. Kevin immediately recognized the value of ReFigure, the ability to help with literature reviews, make research data and insights accessible to students at all levels, and serve as a science education tool. While balancing a post-doctoral position, Kevin works to bring ReFigure to new users.
