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Judith Simcox’s interest in science began with a high school assignment: a research paper on a topic of her choice. Inspired by her sister Jan, Simcox asked why people with Down syndrome have higher rates of Type I diabetes. She found that the relationship is well established, but scientists “had no idea what causes these high rates, which was really shocking to me,” she said. “It was the first time I asked a question about the world around me that had no answer. I knew I wanted to tackle these types of questions.”

Judith Simcox

Simcox studied biology at Carroll College, where she joined a research lab focused on how environmental pressures shape the genetic code of black fly populations. “I went into college and didn’t really know what being a scientist was at that point,” she said, “but I started to realize that you could bring your perspective into science.”

Simcox’s mother, a nurse who worked night shifts so she could care for Jan, was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 40. Like her high school assignment, this event inspired Simcox to ask why — and the latter question ultimately formed the basis of her Ph.D. research.

Simcox learned that asynchronous tissue-specific circadian rhythms — which are set by light and diet — in night shift workers increase rates of metabolic diseases like breast cancer. “What we were really exploring was how different dietary elements impact circadian rhythms,” she said. “We found that, at the molecular level, dietary iron resets the circadian clock in the liver.”

Now an assistant professor of biochemistry at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Simcox continues to draw inspiration from her life experiences. “In my research and in the way I think about science I bring that urgency, because I know what it’s like to live with these diseases.”