When she was a student, Dana Lashley intended to study medicine to become a physician. But she realized that what she really loved was the molecular level of chemistry—leading her to pursue passions of research and teaching in this field.

Lashley, a new associate teaching professor who came to Notre Dame in the Fall of 2024, teaches undergraduate organic chemistry and biochemistry to undergraduates on the preprofessional track, and will soon teach study abroad courses with a focus in global and public health.“I love teaching ‘pre-meds’ in these courses because I know it gets exciting for them to see real applications of chemistry in medicine,” Lashley said. “For example, I love being able to show them a reaction at the molecular level, and then show them how a certain antibiotic operates by perforing the exact same reaction.”

Prior to coming to Notre Dame, Lashley worked at the College of William and Mary for 10 years. She taught and conducted medicinal chemistry research that was centered around the early preclinical stages of drug development aiming to discover new anticancer and antibacterial compounds.

“I really want to prioritize teaching right now, but I would love to get back into research with undergraduates at some point,” Lashley said.

She is also passionate about study abroad opportunities, which stems from her coming to the United States as an international student for her doctorate. She understands the importance in showing young people the world, and is hoping to do so in a way that’s focused on medicine and public health. She has been hired to be the Director of Study Abroad for the College of Science and has started a program to take students in the college to Germany this upcoming summer to learn about drug development in Europe.

Coming from a Middle Eastern refugee family and growing up as part of a minority population in Germany, Lashley is also focused on creating a learning environment wherein students from all backgrounds can succeed.

This desire for inclusive teaching and Notre Dame’s Catholic mission was what drew Lashley to the University. “Notre Dame really upholds the Catholic idea of prioritizing humanity and helping other people out through kindness, and this humanist ideology just really resonates well with me,” she said.

She is grateful for all the opportunities Notre Dame has afforded her, particularly with the role in getting to expand the study abroad courses for science students and pre-meds, who often find it difficult to participate due to limited science credit options.

The University has also given her the chance to conduct community outreach. Together with her students, she started a new student organization called STEM for All Alliance that focuses on science education for children in underserved populations.

“I love going out into the community and doing demos or fun chemistry experiments with children to get them excited about science, showing them that anyone can be a scientist,” she said.

Outside of the science realm, Lashley’s favorite hobby is football. In Virginia, she played fullback for the Richmond Black Widows in a women’s tackle football league and now has “almost” secret plans to someday ask Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman to run a women’s camp to recruit for a new women’s team in this area.

Lashley is excited to continue to learn and grow in her new role here at the University, and she looks forward to doing what she can to make a positive impact on the Notre Dame community.

Originally published by Anna Salentine at science.nd.edu on May 01, 2025.