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Kaitlyn Webster PhD’18 has been named one of five nationwide recipients of the $75,000 L’Oréal USA For Women in Science fellowship.

Every scientist can name the moment curiosity took hold. For Kaitlyn Webster PhD’18, it was a quiet revelation in her eighth-grade science class. She remembers sitting there, studying her fingernails, hypnotized by her glow-in-the-dark nail polish. What made it glow?, she wondered aloud to her teacher.

It was the sort of question adults often wave away. But Kaitlyn’s teacher—the first woman in STEM she’d ever met—leaned in instead.

“That was like flint for me,” Webster recalled. “She encouraged me. She introduced me to the concept of doing research to figure out how something works, which is the foundation of science that I still use today.” 

Years later, Webster is still chasing the unknown, only now the questions are much bigger. Now, a postdoctoral researcher at Harvard Medical School, she explores the mysteries of evolution, adaptation, and what it means to create life. Her current research focuses on Mexican tetra (Astyanax mexicanus), a species of river fish that, over tens of thousands of years, found its way into caves—an extremely dark and resource-scarce environment—and adapted, not once but around 30 different times in separate populations.  

Webster called it “the experiment that nature set up for us.”  

“Now we have basically a living fossil to study, to see how these organisms respond to drastic environmental change in the caves,” she said. 

This research builds on her early experiences in Kellee Siegfried-Harris's lab at UMass Boston, where she first investigated reproductive biology and genetics in zebrafish. Today, she’s applying those same scientific instincts to even deeper evolutionary questions, seeking to understand not just how organisms survive, but how they reinvent themselves to thrive in new worlds. 

All her research hasn't gone unnoticed. Webster was recently named one of five recipients nationwide of the $75,000 . The program, now in its twenty-second year in the United States, awards women postdoctoral scientists each year with grants for their research in STEM, as well as their commitment to inspiring and mentoring the next generation. Backed by L’Oréal and UNESCO, the program has invested over $5 million in American women postdocs to date. 

"Of all the fellowships out there, this is the only one I know of that not only recognizes women postdocs specifically, but acknowledges those who contribute a significant portion of their time to public service, to community outreach, to STEM outreach. That’s a huge part of who I am. It's such a big part of my story to how I became a scientist,” Webster said.

But the journey to this recognition didn’t come without setbacks.

“There were certainly more stumbles than successes in the early part of my career,” Webster admitted. “A lot of women in STEM experience environments that are not supportive… There were so many times people told me I would never get into graduate school, I would never be more than a research technician, I would never get a postdoc, that I would never get a fellowship. I think I use that discouragement as fuel in my journey forward, and I love proving people wrong.” 

A crucial part of that journey was UMass Boston, where she pursued her doctorate degree in the Molecular, Cellular, and Organismal Biology program. Like her eighth-grade science teacher, professors Dr. Kellee Siegfried-Harris, Dr. Brian White, and the late Dr. Richard Kesseli encouraged her to experiment, supported her boldest ideas, and made sure she knew she belonged at the scientific table. 

“It really was the perfect place for me to figure out what kind of scientist I wanted to be, and what kind of mentor I wanted to become,” she said. “I really felt like a sense of belonging right away.” 

That sense of belonging has become central to Webster’s life as she works to pass on that feeling to others. These days, you’ll find her mentoring young students through Science Club for Girl. “My life looked a lot like yours, and I grew up to be a scientist, and here I am now,” she tells them. “If you just ask a question and you do something to try to find the answer, that’s the same as being a scientist. That’s really all it takes."   

Webster hopes to inspire even more young women to imagine themselves in science—not by minimizing the challenges, but by sharing the truth that persistence and curiosity can lead anywhere. 

“You never know what’s possible if you don’t give up on yourself. Everything I learned the hard way, I pass on to the students I mentor. I hope their journey is easier than mine, and that one day, they’ll do the same for someone else.” 

Interested in connecting with Kaitlyn or getting involved as a mentor with Science Club for Girls? Contact the UMass Boston Alumni Engagement team at alumni@umb.edu, and we’ll be happy to connect you!