Kent State University Honors College senior Kendra Dillon is wrapping up her undergraduate career with an impressive list of achievements, research contributions and future plans that have garnered attention well beyond campus.
A neuroscience major with a minor in Society, Health, and Medicine, Kendra has spent nearly her entire undergraduate career conducting research in the lab of Aleisha Moore, Ph.D., where she explored how the brain impacts fertility—specifically in relation to polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), the leading cause of anovulatory infertility worldwide. Her work, which utilizes mouse models to examine hormonal receptor changes in the brain, culminated in her Senior Honors Thesis entitled “Steroid Hormone Receptor Expression is Altered in Kisspeptin Neurons of a Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Mouse Model.”
“I started in Dr. Moore’s lab just two weeks into my freshman year,” said Kendra, who initially had minimal lab experience. Through the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) program and federal work-study, she quickly became a key member of The Moore Laboratory, located in the Brain Health Research Institute at Kent State, logging 10–15 hours per week during the academic year and full-time hours during the summer. “Most of my life has been in the lab,” she laughed.
Kendra’s passion for reproductive health research is deeply rooted in both scientific curiosity and a desire to address real-world medical inequities. “Reproductive health is incredibly understudied,” she said, recounting personal stories of friends and mentors who have struggled for years with conditions like endometriosis. “No one should have to go day-to-day just being in pain.”
Her thesis expands upon a previously published paper that explored progesterone receptor expression and its implications for fertility. In her most recent project, Kendra investigated how androgen and progesterone receptors are expressed in the brains of PCOS-like
Kendra’s work has been showcased at multiple research symposia, including Kent State’s Undergraduate Research Symposium, the Brain Health Research Institute (BHRI) annual symposium, and even a national endocrinology conference in Boston. She has also earned distinction as a BHRI Fellow and received support from the Honors College, including a scholarship that allowed her to study abroad in Florence in summer 2023.
Now, Kendra is preparing for her next big academic adventure: a fully funded master’s program in Clinical Embryology at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. There, she will gain hands-on experience in in-vitro fertilization (IVF) techniques and continue her work in reproductive science.
“It’s a one-year program that ends with a thesis,” she explained. “I’ll be able to work in a lab again and explore the clinical applications of everything I’ve learned so far.” The UK’s leadership in IVF research and Oxford’s wealth of academic resources made it a natural choice.
While her future is still unfolding, Kendra is open to where her path will take her—whether in the U.S. or abroad—but for now, she’s focused on embracing the opportunities ahead.
In addition to her research, Kendra has been involved with Kent State’s Honors College throughout her time at the university. She highlighted the benefits of smaller class sizes, close faculty mentorship, and opportunities like the Senior Honors Thesis as pivotal to her academic growth. She also credits the Honors College with providing the scholarship support that made study abroad accessible.
When she’s not in the lab, Kendra enjoys caring for her three guinea pigs, tending to her collection of houseplants, cooking, and staying active through running and weightlifting. “Balance is important,” she said. “Especially when so much of your life is spent at a desk or in a lab.”
As graduation approaches, Kendra reflects on her time at Kent State with gratitude. “The support I’ve received here—from my professors, advisors, and the Honors College—has really shaped who I am as a researcher and student.”
And while Oxford awaits, it’s clear that Kendra has already made a meaningful mark on Kent State—and is poised to make an even greater one in the world of reproductive science.