Reuben Allen wears protective eyewear and smiles in the lab.

Reuben Allen

Image courtesy of the subject.

Graduate Student Spotlight: Reuben Allen

by Danielle Doughty | Department of Chemistry |
Categories: Research, Students

Chemistry Graduate Student Reuben Allen describes his research and answers 20 random questions as part of the Graduate Student Spotlight series.

Reuben Allen is about to complete his first year at MIT, where he moved in August 2023 from Seattle, Washington. In his research with Professor Katharina Ribbeck‘s lab in the Department of Biological Engineering, Reuben aims to leverage the molecular precision of chemical biology to identify mechanistic relationships between mucin glycan structures and gut microbial phenotypes. He is particularly fascinated by the role of bacterial metabolism in the human microbiome-gut-brain axis and how this metabolism may be regulated by surface interactions between mucin glycans and bacteria.

“My choice to pursue a PhD in chemistry is based on the premise that a knowledge of fundamental chemical principles unlocks the doors to greater control over biological processes,” said Reuben.

As the subject of this month’s Graduate Student Spotlight, Reuben reveals the narrator he’d like for his life, the best way he could envision spending a weekend, the most interesting place he’s visited, and more!

  1. If animals could talk, which animal do you think would be the most annoying, and why?
    Probably the remora, the kind of fish that sticks to the bottom of sharks, because you would never be able to get away from their chit-chat!
  2. What was your favorite book as a child, and what is your favorite book now?
    As a child, it was “D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths.” Now it is Silverman’s “The Organic Chemistry of Enzyme-Catalyzed Reactions”.
  3. What is something that a ton of people are obsessed with but you just don’t get the point of?
    TikTok.
  4. If you were given five million dollars to open a small museum, what kind of museum would you create?
    A museum of comparative anatomy, with dozens of preserved biological samples and skeletons to compare physical traits across evolutionary distances.
  5. What one thing do you really want but can’t afford?
    A clavichord or 19th century piano forte.
  6. What would be your ideal way to spend the weekend?
    Saturday – Spending the day in lab listening to Bach or a history podcast in one ear and feeling the sense of accomplishment after a successful experiment! Sunday – A long run in the morning and then reading/being lazy the rest of the day.
  7. Where is the most interesting place you’ve been?
    Tatoosh Island off the coast of Washington state, the site of Robert Paine’s famous experiments on disturbances and keystone species in marine ecology.
  8. What food do you crave most often?
    Pizza.
  9. If you could know the absolute and total truth to one question, what question would you ask?
    Does life exist outside of planet Earth?
  10. If you could have a never-ending candle that smelled like anything you wanted, what fragrance would you want it to be?
    The smell of pine trees.
  11. What are some small things that make your day better?
    Bluetooth earbuds.
  12. What invention doesn’t get a lot of love, but has greatly improved the world?
    The digitalization of music. Enormous bodies of work from the greatest composers are right at our fingertips for listening at any time.
  13. If someone narrated your life, who would you want to be the narrator?
    Mike Duncan, creator of the Revolutions and History of Rome podcasts.
  14. What inconsequential super power would you like to have?
    Eyes that can act like a spectrophotometer.
  15. What’s worth spending more on to get the best?
    A good quality laptop.
  16. What is a small thing that make your day better?
    Talking with labmates about an exciting new paper they read!
  17. What piece of entertainment do you wish you could erase from your mind so that you could experience for the first time again?
    The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes with Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes or Agatha Christie’s Poirot.
  18. If money and practicality weren’t a problem, what would be the most interesting way to get around town?
    An electric jetpack.
  19. What would be the best thing you could reasonably expect to find in a cave?
    Archeological remains of ancient human activity, but you would never catch me spelunking; it is way too dangerous and claustrophobic!
  20. What two things are terrible when separate but great when you put them together?
    Lime juice and raw seafood!