Tyesha L. Farmer

Tyesha L. Farmer is a summa cum laude graduate of Alabama A&M University, where she received her BS degree in Biology in 2003. Thereafter, she pursued a PhD in Genetics from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she investigated differences in tumor biology and genome copy number alterations in African-American and European-American women diagnosed with early onset breast cancer. Upon completion of her doctoral studies in 2009, Tyesha received a post-doctoral fellowship position in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology investigating the role of target of rapamycin (TOR) signaling in cancer and the DNA damage response. In 2014, Tyesha joined the faculty at her alma mater as Assistant Professor of Genetics in the same department where she received her undergraduate degree. Her present research interests include evaluating rapamycin sensitivity and resistance in plant species, understanding the role of non-canonical TOR signaling in cancer, and large-scale genomic analyses with an emphasis on health disparities. Tyesha also has a passion for providing opportunities for minority students in medicine and STEM fields. She is a founding member of the Blackbelt Medical/Professional Health Consortium, which seeks to develop a professional health education pipeline program for minority students from rural Alabama. Tyesha is a native of York, Alabama in rural Sumter County. She enjoys watching astronomy documentaries, writing poetry, and playing tennis (although she is not very good at it).