ACS Alumni in Science

From classrooms to cutting-edge labs, ACS graduates are making waves in the world of science - and their journeys often begin right here on campus. As part of our ACS Alumni in Science series, we spotlight remarkable alumni like Polina Kehayova ’97 who is Scientific Director at Harvard University. This feature is part of The Science LAB fundraising campaign, which aims to expand opportunities in STEM for ACS students by enhancing the school's science facilities. Together, these efforts reflect the power of science education - and the lasting impact of investing in young minds with curiosity and courage.

If you had to explain what you do to a curious 10-year-old, how would you describe it?

Currently I am the Scientific Director of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Harvard University, which means I am no longer working in a lab. In general terms, I am responsible for figuring out what are the most exciting directions in biology that our department should be focusing on and doing what needs to be done to make sure we are successful in building a vibrant science community. In practical terms, I work on selecting the new faculty who join us each year (this past fall, we received 476 applications for one spot so the choice is super hard!), I advise students and postdoctoral fellows, I teach some classes. Right now, a lot of work goes into finding ways to maintain research in the context of being attacked by the US federal administration and losing a lot of our funding. 

What inspired you to pursue a career in science and how did your time at ACS influence your path?

I can honestly give ACS 100% of the credit for choosing a career in science. Growing up, I was mostly interested in arts and music (which I continue to love and do!), and it sometimes still surprises me that I ended up becoming a scientist. 

Looking back, there were two experiences in high school that led me on the path of scientific discovery. The first one was taking organic chemistry. To this day, there’s nothing that has ever made as much intuitive sense to me as organic chemistry. I found myself in a new place where I somehow immediately spoke the language. The experience was exhilarating and it unlocked a curiosity to learn that I had rarely experienced before. The added bonus of organic chemistry is that it seems like magic- but it’s magic that is made of logical steps that you can understand, reproduce and predict. The thrill of this realization never left me! The other experience was my introduction to the concept of evolution. This was another time in which one single concept powerfully brought into focus much about the living world around me. Looking at life through the lens of evolution brought a tremendous sense of satisfaction back then and it still does now.

So I guess this is how I ended up being a scientist by profession, but one who still has a deep love and appreciation for the arts, which is what I spend most of my free time on :)

What’s one project or discovery you’re especially proud of? 

I think I am most proud of work I did about 10 years ago while I worked in drug discovery. We often think of microbes as the enemy, but microbes have helped humans in innumerable ways, one of which is by producing compounds that humans have further developed into important medications. In fact, about 35% of medicines are derived from what we call natural products, or molecules produced by microbes or plants. In nature, these molecules are usually produced to help the microbe survive its environment, often as a weapon against other organisms around it. These compounds are very powerful, but they also require a lot of energy to make so microbes make them only in certain conditions. That’s why it’s been very hard for scientists to discover a lot of new compounds that might be useful for combating certain diseases- we don’t know how to make the microbes make them! When I worked in drug discovery, I was part of a very exciting project in which we used a really cool genetic approach to identify possible active molecules and were really lucky to find a molecule that showed promise against an important medical target. Something to keep in mind is that finding a promising molecule is just the very first step of a very long process in drug development, but it was extremely exciting to both develop this novel way of searching for active molecules and to actually land on something that could be helpful to people!

What breakthrough in your field excites you the most right now and why?

The breakthrough that excites me most right now actually came from the lab of David Liu where I did my PhD. In the last few years, David’s lab has made it possible for us to go into a genome (the DNA of an organism) and precisely change any base to anything else we want. We can do that with spellbinding precision both for a single base and for longer stretches of DNA. The potential power of this has been recognized for decades, but now we can actually do it. It’s breathtaking! When I was in graduate school 20 years ago and we were thinking about how we could go about doing this, I would have never believed that in 2025 we would already have this successfully performed in patients. While there are certainly still obstacles ahead, this opens up an opportunity to address some genetic diseases in a fundamentally new way, a way that can bring realistic, tangible hope to people. The New York Times recently published the story of a baby with a rare genetic disease who was treated using this approach and is doing incredibly well! It IS like science from the future, but the future is now! 

Can you share a favorite memory from your science classes or teachers at ACS?

My 5 years at ACS were some of the best in my life and, as I mentioned before, if it weren’t for ACS, it’s very unlikely I would have gone into science. It’s very hard to pick a favorite memory or a teacher; it’s a bit like asking a parent to pick a favorite child :). But if I had to pick one experience, it would be what I referred to above- the exhilaration of taking organic chemistry for the first time and feeling like what I had just learned suddenly explained the whole world around me. Up until then, I had viewed math and science as something I had to get through. At that point, I saw science as the tool to understand the marvels of the world. And I was learning how to use that tool. 

Why do you believe it’s important to invest in science education today?

Science is one of the most powerful tools to gain knowledge, and knowledge is freedom. It’s freedom and empowerment to make choices, to act, and to challenge existing norms, rather than be controlled by fear, prejudice or superstition. At its best, science education doesn’t just teach us the facts that scientists have learned about the world, but it also equips us with the tools to ask our own questions, to look for the truth, to recognize the need for change, to make new discoveries. Combine that with the creativity, energy and curiosity of young people, and the world is in good hands! 

At ACS, our students aren’t just learning science - they’re using it to make a difference. They have the talent and drive to solve real‑world problems and they are tackling ambitious projects. Our alumni’s impressive achievements in scientific research and innovation are a testament to the strength of their education—and with your support for The Science LAB fundraising campaign, we can empower the next generation of changemakers. Join us in investing in the future by donating today at: https://acs.bg/giving/donate