She received her Ph.D. in Immunology from the University of Chicago in 2011, where her training was supported by a National Institutes of Health-funded Molecular and Cellular Biology training grant. Her dissertation, entitled “Subnuclear Compartmentalization of Cell Cycle Effectors in B Lymphopoiesis,” focused on development and regulation of cells of the hematopoietic system with specific emphasis on the role of cyclin D3 in cell cycle regulation as well as transcriptional regulation. Upon completion of an appointment as a post-doctoral scholar in the Department of Medicine and Knapp Center for Lupus Research at the University of Chicago, Dr. Powers joined the Lewis faculty in 2012. Her current research interests include transcriptome analysis of human cancers bearing cyclin D3 mutations as well as structural changes within the protein caused by these mutations.