Kathrine McAulay, Ph.D., has clinical and academic laboratory experience in the U.K. and the U.S. and is based at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where she is responsible for verification and validation of diagnostic tests. She loves the problem-solving and critical thinking required in her role as well as the variety it offers. McAulay has been interested in microbes since high school, but wishes that she had better understood the diversity of career opportunities in clinical microbiology when she was a student. She is passionate about sharing what she has learned with others interested in the field. Out of the lab, McAulay will most likely be counting stitches, reading or trying to identify a bird.