Kathleen Rust

Kathleen is a Ph.D. aspirant in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department at KU. As a first year Ph.D. student, Kathleen plans to continue studying primate origins and systematics, which was the central focus of her Master's research. For her dissertation, she aims to combine molecular and fosil data to investigate the purported evolutionary trade-off between vision and olfaction in early primate evolution in an effort to elucidate specific divergence events within the primate lineage. Kathleen began her studies at KU after serving as a biological anthropology educator for several years at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Her passion for informal science education and outreach led her to explore career trajectories outside of academia. When it comes to STEM careers, one size does not fit all, and considering the general lack of resources for students to learn about alternative STEM career trajectories, Kathleen joined the KU SEARCH committee. She hopes the symposium will give her fellow KU graduate students the unique opportunity to learn about alternative STEM career paths, how to prepare for non-academic careers, and the chance to network with STEM professionals from all backgrounds and disciplines.