Dr. Kelly S. Bender received her B.S. in Biology from Southeast Missouri State University (1999) and her Ph.D. (2003) in Molecular Biology, Microbiology, and Biochemistry from Southern Illinois University–Carbondale.  Her dissertation work focused on the genetics of perchlorate-reducing bacteria. During her post-doctoral fellowship, Kelly worked on the genetic regulation of sulfate-reducing bacteria in the laboratory of Judy Wall at the University of Missouri–Columbia.  She also completed a transatlantic biotechnology fellowship at Uppsala University in Sweden researching regulatory small RNAs in bacteria.  In 2006, Kelly returned to her alma mater, Southern Illinois University–Carbondale, as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology and was tenured and promoted to Associate Professor in 2012. Her lab studies a range of topics including the regulation of stress responses by small RNAs, microbial community dynamics of sites impacted by acid mine drainage, and the bioremediation of uranium by metal- and sulfate-reducing bacteria. Dr. Bender teaches courses in molecular biology and microbial genetics, and has served on numerous federal grant review panels, and is an active member of the American Society for Microbiology. Her other interests include cooking, biking, and spending time with family, friends, and her miniature schnauzer, Pepper.