Patented Ph.D.: Sigrid Kiledal Produces Groundbreaking Research at Baylor University
Written by Doug Goodnough
As of July 2023, Sigrid Kiledal, ’17, has a new title. After successfully defending her doctoral dissertation in Baylor University’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, you can now call her doctor.
The newly minted Ph.D. made the most of her time as a graduate research assistant in Baylor’s Daniel Romo Group. She was the lead researcher on the team that helped discover a new synthetic molecule derivative that shows promise for preventing and potentially reversing the neurological impacts from ischemic stroke. In fact, the group filed a provisional patent on a new molecule called waixenicin A.
“The goal of this project is to identify what parts of the structure of this molecule are required for biological activity,” Kiledal said. “Part of that was designing small molecules that are very simplified versions of the natural product. Once we synthesized these really simplified derivatives, we sent them to our collaborators and they tested them.”
The research has been promising, and although there’s much more work to be done, the provisional patent will ensure that no one can copy what they are doing.
Kiledal, who entered Baylor in the fall of 2017 as a graduate teaching assistant, quickly moved to the research side of the program.
“You don’t have to take many classes because the focus is on research,” she said of the program. “So you’re done with classes after your first year. I was really fortunate to be an RA (research assistant) since my second year.”
Kiledal originally thought biology was her future career path. Her mother is a longtime rhetoric and speech professor at the College who has a background in biology, and her father is a computer scientist.
“Science was always something that was explored and made interesting to my brother and me while we were growing up,” said Sigrid, a Hillsdale Academy graduate who “grew up” on Hillsdale’s campus. “I knew going into college I wanted to do something with the sciences.”
However, she said Hillsdale College’s chemistry professors quickly fostered her love of chemistry.
“They’re great professors,” she said of faculty like Dr. Lee Ann Baron and Dr. Courtney Meyet. “I fell in love with the subject. It’s a difficult, difficult subject.”
She was far from one-dimensional at Hillsdale. Although she spent her summers researching, she was a member of mock trial, the debate team, orchestra, choir, and the Pi Kappa Delta, Iota Sigma Pi, Sigma Zeta, and Sigma Alpha Iota honoraries.
And having her mom on campus was definitely a plus.
“My mom and I are very close. It was never weird for me,” she said. “In fact, it was great that she was on campus because a lot of times I could just go hide in her office and study.”
She said her upbringing helped prepare her for a field that can be very demanding.
“Growing up with my brother, I helped with building things, fixing things,” said Kiledal, who was also a Girl Scout. “My parents have always been a really shining example of what hard work and success. They are very passionate about their jobs and are genuinely interested in their fields. And my grandfather was an engineer in the auto industry. He was definitely a major influence, too.”
Being a woman in a male-dominated environment has not discouraged Kiledal.
“There’s not many women,” Kiledal said of the chemistry research profession. “I think it has something to do with how difficult it is and a lot of the culture and environment. You are working with chemicals, and a lot of times they are very harsh chemicals. That may deter people. Not me.”
Kiledal is ready for the next step in her career. While there are many large pharmaceutical companies, she said she may prefer a small company that focuses on research, or a research lab position at another institution.
“I think that there’s a lot of new and up-and-coming research coming out of those smaller companies,” said Kiledal, who has called Waco, Texas, home for the past six years. “It would be really interesting to see how that functions. It also would be an easier stepping stone than jumping into one of the larger companies.”
She said developing a molecule that could be of use as a pharmaceutical drug would be a major goal of her future research. And she said Hillsdale College gave her a great foundation.
“Going to Hillsdale, I have such a strong foundation across the board,” she said. “A lot of times, chemistry is just as writing-heavy as any other field in the humanities. Having a strong background was really helpful. Hillsdale prepared me very well.”
Doug Goodnough, ’90, is Hillsdale’s director of Alumni Marketing. He enjoys connecting with fellow alumni in new and wonderful ways.
Published in August 2023