Shanen M. Sherrer

Biography

Dr. Shanen M. Sherrer is a versatile scientist, educator, and administrator. Her broad training in the chemical, biological, and biomedical sciences included biochemical research across various organisms – primarily in archaea, yeast, and human model systems. Dr. Sherrer’s past research experiences focused on determining mutagenic profiles and pre-steady state kinetic characteristics of error-prone DNA replication and studying the molecular mechanism of the human DNA mismatch repair pathway. Notably, she worked as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Research Associate (2011-2013) in the HHMI laboratory of Nobel Laureate Dr. Paul L. Modrich before completing a 3-year American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Fellowship (2014-2017) in the same laboratory.  

After earning tenure as a faculty member at St. Mary’s College of Maryland (SMCM), Dr. Sherrer completed a 2-year American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science and Technology Policy Fellowship (2023-2025) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). During this time at the NIH, she worked for the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in the Division of Cancer Prevention, and she completed a work detail in the NCI Division of Cancer Biology. Dr. Sherrer’s work as an NIH scientist-administrator earned her 3 NCI awards, including an NCI Director’s Award. Dr. Sherrer’s undergraduate student-centered research program at SMCM studies the impact of environmental pollutants on DNA-protein interactions using both classical and novel techniques such as chromatography, thermal scanning, molecular cloning, gel electrophoresis, and metal-indicating fluorophores. Her rigorous courses and research training practices help prepare students to enter the scientific workforce, graduate schools, and health professional programs.