How Organs Take Shape, and So Does a Career: How GetHIRED! Helped Nicole Edwards Launch Her Lab
11/24/2025
Nicole Edwards has long been driven by a curiosity about how organs develop—and what happens when those processes go awry. After earning her Ph.D. in developmental biology at Western University in Canada and completing a postdoc at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, she’s now preparing to launch her own lab at the University of Michigan Medical School in early 2026.
Her postdoctoral research explored how genetic mutations contribute to rare congenital defects, particularly a condition where the foregut must separate into the trachea and esophagus. Using Xenopus frog embryos and mouse models, she tested patient derived variants with CRISPR based gene editing. Her work revealed that many of these mutations disrupt endosomal trafficking—the cellular logistics system that delivers proteins to the right place at the right time. When that system breaks down, cells cannot reorganize properly during tissue shaping, leading to structural birth defects. This mechanism may extend beyond the foregut to other organs that undergo dramatic remodeling, and was recently published in Developmental Cell (2025).
Mentorship shaped her scientific approach. Working with leaders like Jim Wells and Aaron Zorn helped her develop a translational mindset by seeing how discoveries made in embryos could one day inform clinical strategies to understand and prevent congenital disorders. This shift in perspective also clarified the kind of research program she wanted to build next.
When Edwards started eyeing faculty positions, she turned to the Society for Developmental Biology’s GetHIRED! course for a competitive edge. GetHIRED! is a 12-week career development boot camp that helps senior postdocs prepare all their academic job application materials and polish their interview skills. Encouraged by her principal investigator, Edwards joined SDB’s GetHIRED! program to strengthen her faculty application materials. The structured weekly prompts helped her complete polished drafts of her research, teaching, and diversity statements, while the cohort exchanged feedback on each other's materials. The interview coaching was a turning point. Practicing a mock interview, including a chalk talk and strategies for navigating difficult questions, helped replace anxiety with confidence.
GetHIRED! helped Edwards stay focused while juggling job applications and finishing research. She took the course before her major paper was even submitted, and it still paid off — committees read the preprint, and the paper was accepted a week after her first interview. Most importantly, she learned not to equate success with checking every conventional box. Rather than focusing on missing fellowships or awards, she used the course to clarify a compelling research vision and articulate it confidently.
The Edward lab will open at the University of Michigan’s Department of Cell & Developmental Biology, and she is excited to recruit students and postdocs who share her curiosity. Building on her postdoctoral work, Edwards plans to investigate whether the mechanisms she uncovered in the foregut apply to other organs that undergo dramatic shape changes during development. Many common birth defects involve organs that must fuse or separate in the embryo, such as the palate, the heart, or the neural tube. Edwards hopes to find common threads and potentially identify interventions that could one day reduce the incidence of these defects.
Outside the lab, Edwards finds balance and inspiration through her hobbies. She’s an avid rock climber and often drives a couple of hours to Kentucky’s for weekend climbing trips.
Last Updated 11/24/2025
