This profile is part of a series to highlight the researchers who will be honored at a ceremony on Oct. 29 for UNMC’s 2026 Scientist Laureate, Research Leadership, Distinguished Scientist and New Investigator recipients.
Michele Plewes, PhD, will receive a New Investigator Award. New Investigator Awards go to outstanding UNMC scientists who in the past year have secured their first independent funding from a national source. New investigators also must demonstrate scholarly activity such as publishing their research and/or presenting their findings at national conventions.
- Name: Michele Plewes, PhD
- Title: Assistant professor, UNMC Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, UNMC College of Medicine. Research physiologist, VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System.
- Joined UNMC: 2018
- Hometown: Loveland, Colorado
Please describe your research focus in three words or less:
- Metabolism
- Fertility
- Aging
Why is research important in the world today?
Research is how we find out what we got wrong. You see a result that doesn’t fit the accepted explanation, and instead of setting it aside, you ask why. That question becomes an experiment. The experiment produces evidence, and over time, that evidence changes how we understand biology and how we treat patients. Many of the questions I care most about started with an observation that didn’t fit.
My research will make a difference because:
We tend to treat ovarian aging as inevitable instead of asking what is actually driving it. My lab studies the cells that support the developing egg and how they use cholesterol and lipids to make reproductive hormones. In women with poor ovarian response, those pathways start to break down. If we can understand when that happens and why, we may be able to recognize ovarian dysfunction earlier and give women more options for their reproductive and long-term health.
The best advice I’ve ever received is:
Stay curious enough to recognize when the data are telling you something unexpected.
Three things you may not know about me are:
- I love gardening and hope to have a small homestead someday.
- I am happiest outside, especially in the mountains.
- Some of my favorite research ideas have started with a simple conversation, so I am always happy to talk science and explore new collaborations.