Camryn Carter stands on a rooftop, smiling in the winter.

Camryn Carter

Image courtesy of the subject.

Graduate Student Spotlight: Camryn Carter

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

Chemistry Graduate Student Camryn Carter describes her research and answers 20 random questions as part of the Graduate Student Spotlight series.

Camryn Carter comes to MIT from Chesterfield, Virginia. A second year graduate student in Professor Bin Zhang‘s research group, Camryn works to better understand the specificity factor of the photosynthesis enzyme Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO) using molecular dynamics simulations with the overall goal of engineering a more efficient enzyme.
“I wanted to pursue a PhD in chemistry because my favorite part of my undergraduate experience was doing computational chemistry research, and I wanted to continue,” said Camryn.
As the subject of this Graduate Student Spotlight, Camryn shares the food she craves most often, the skill she’d like to master, her best and worst purchases, and more.
  1. Who are your three favorite fictional characters?
    • Nick Wilde from Zootopia
    • Eggsy from Kingsman
    • Ray from The Princess and the Frog
  2.  If you were on a 27-hour flight and could only watch one movie, what would it be?
    127 Dresses
  3. What was your favorite book as a child, and what is your favorite book now?
    Child – Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer. Now – Lessons in Chemistry.
  4. If someone narrated your life, who would you want to be the narrator?
     Kristen Bell.
  5. What did you think was going to be amazing but turned out to be horrible?
    The movie Madame Webb.
  6. What movie makes me laugh no matter what?
    Game Night.
  7. What is something that a ton of people are obsessed with, but you just don’t get the point of?
    The musical Hamilton.
  8. What food do I crave most often?
    Popcorn, specifically from AMC Theaters.
  9. What game or movie universe would you most like to live in? What would be the worst to live in?
    I would like to live in any Hallmark movie universe. I would not like to live in the Fallout universe.
  10. What is the funniest TV show?
    Psych.
  11. One thing I want but can’t afford?
    A house.
  12.  What skill would I like to master?
    Knitting.
  13. What hobby would I do if money wasn’t an issue?
    Art Collecting.
  14. Who would be in the lineup for my ideal music festival?
    Ashnikko and Sabrina Carpenter
  15. What are the best and worst purchases?
    The best would be my winter jacket. The worst would be my current laptop.
  16. What’s something common from your childhood that will seem strange to future generations?
    A TV built into the center console of a minivan.
  17. Where are some unusual places you’ve been?
    The ruins of President Heads Park in Williamsburg, VA.
  18. If you could pick any career other than the one you’ve chosen, what would it be?
    I would want to be a Librarian.
  19. What is on your bucket list?
    To meet Zendaya.
  20. Which TV show character would it be the most fun to change places with for a week? Which character would you least like to change places with?
    I would trade places with Mabel from Only Murders in the Building, and would not want to trade places with Vi from Arcane.