Meet Nicholas M. Riley

Nicholas develops methods to capture, quantify, and modify glycoproteins, seeking to understand the functional importance of the cell-surface glycocalyx in health and disease. His group is particularly interested in measuring changes in the cell-surface glycoproteome to reveal how cells respond to and reshape their environments.

“Glycobiology is fascinating but challenging,” he says. “There are many questions in glycoscience that start with ‘we know this is important’ and end with ‘but only if we could see with more precision, clarity, or resolution.’” Nicholas sees an opportunity to combine mass spectrometry, imaging, flow cytometry, and other techniques according to their individual strengths. “This need for glycobiology-driven creativity in our method design is what is most exciting to me.”

Better measurements must ultimately produce better biological understanding. “As we measure with more precision, accuracy, and throughput, how do we combine this new level of data quality with experiments that help us translate that information into knowledge about biological function?” Nicholas asks. He also wants human judgment to remain central as data processing becomes more automated. “I am less interested in tools that perform evaluation for me. Instead, I want tools that help me expand my ability to evaluate current and future data with rigor myself. Building tools that enable, rather than replace, our critical thinking skills will be a necessary challenge.”

Leaving Kentucky to study in South Carolina taught Nicholas how to rebuild a community and reputation in a new environment, giving him the confidence to continue seeking unfamiliar opportunities throughout graduate school, his postdoc, and the launch of his own group. Sports have reinforced many of the same qualities.

Having played basketball, tennis, rugby, and baseball, he says, “Sports require dedication and discipline, delayed gratification, leadership, critical listening, self-evaluation, and teamwork. I see the same skill set as a necessity for a scientist, too.”