Carla Koehler 2003

Carla Koehler

BS 1986, MS 1989, PhD 1995, Biochemistry and Biophysics
Los Angeles, Calif.

Carla Koehler, assistant professor at the UCLA Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, has - very early in her career - developed an impressive research program on how defects in mitochondria lead to disease. Defective mitochondrial function is the cause of disease in at least 1 in 4,000 people, but the molecular basis of the dysfunction is usually unknown. Before the role of the mitochondrion in diverse cellular processes can be fully understood, scientists must first understand how the mitochondrion is assembled. Koehler has devoted her career to this understanding. For example, her research led to a new understanding of a type of deafness in humans. She teaches mitochondrial metabolism to undergraduates at UCLA, and her laboratory attracts students and post-docs from throughout the United States and Europe.

She is a role model for young women wishing to pursue a career in science. She serves as a mentor and is a highly valued guest speaker. She is a member of a women’s cycling team whose goal is to develop young women riders into elite-level cyclists. She has competed successfully in her age group for top places in races at the local, state, national, and international levels.