Mississippi State University researcher and associate professor Amy Dapper recently received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers for her research lab that focuses on computational biology and genetics.
Dapper, who has been a professor at MSU since 2018, was nominated for the PECASE by the U.S. National Science Foundation. According to the NSF website, “The Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) Award is the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding scientists and engineers beginning their independent careers.”
She is the first person at MSU to receive this highly prestigious award. Prior to this recognition, Dapper’s lab received funding through the NSF’s Faculty Early Career Development Program, commonly referred to as a CAREER award.
Dapper’s lab combines computational biology and genetics to study and predict how reproductive traits are passed down among a broad spectrum of species within the animal kingdom, from alligators to roundworms and even humans. Dapper said that the lab can best be described as an evolutionary genetics lab focused on how reproductive traits evolve over time.
“Some labs are really species-driven,” Dapper said. “Mine is not quite that way because we’re using computational and mathematical tools, a lot for which we can apply them pretty equally to a bunch of different organisms.”
Dapper said the unique combination of computational biology, which uses computers and mathematics to analyze biological data, and evolutionary biology has enabled her to receive the awards she has received. Additionally, her work has a strong educational focus. Dapper said that part of the funding from her CAREER grant supported a course developed in collaboration with assistant professor Amanda Diegel from the mathematics department.
“We have sister courses, a biology course and a math course, that are offered at the same time,” Dapper said. “The goal of both of these courses is to build connections between mathematicians and biologists.”

Dapper also said she works with Jason Palagi, a biology teacher at Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science in Columbus, Mississippi, to create opportunities for his high school ecology and population genetics classes to visit MSU’s campus, explore future careers and understand mathematical modeling.
“My hope is that by teaching students, who are already at an awesome school for math and science how interconnected these two fields can be, then we will maybe foster some of these skills at even earlier education stages,” Dapper said.
Dapper currently has one postdoctoral researcher, three doctoral students and two undergraduate students working in her lab. One of the doctoral students, LeAnn Ward, is conducting computational biology research funded by Dapper’s CAREER grant. Ward was introduced to Dapper by another faculty member, Federico Hoffmann, who advised her during her master’s thesis.
Ward said that it is essential for students interested in research to ask around for opportunities.
“A lot of people are looking [for researchers], but it’s not always easy to advertise or find people who are interested in what you’re doing,” Ward said. “As an undergrad, I would always recommend asking professors because the worst they can say is ‘No.'”
Ward pursued a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering at MSU and earned her master’s degree in computational biology. She is now studying computational biology as a PhD student. Her work in Dapper’s lab focuses on developing computer simulations that can simulate the evolution of different traits in organisms. Ward said that her favorite part of being a researcher is being able to solve problems.
“I like to troubleshoot the coding problems. That can be really fun, and is probably the most, like, immediately satisfying task,” Ward said. “Some of the bigger problems, you may not get a good solution for a few months.”
Anamica Khadgi, a senior undergraduate biomedical engineering student who works in Dapper’s lab, first became involved with research during her freshman year. She said she spoke with someone in the department of biological sciences who connected her with Dapper’s lab. Khadgi said her favorite part of research is discovering new answers to problems that no one has ever solved.
“Research can be very frustrating at times because you’re literally trying to find something that nobody else has found before, and with that, you get stuck a lot. You’re trying to, like, break through this wall,” Khadgi said. “My favorite part in the lab is when you finally break through that wall.”
Dapper said that undergraduate students should try reaching out to professors whenever possible and explain why they are interested in their research. Dapper said that it is crucial for undergraduate students to get involved as early as possible.
“It’s okay to start out in a lab without knowing that that’s what you want your whole future to be,” Dapper said. “Get your feet wet and try things out without feeling like you’re making a lifelong commitment to a niche area of study.”