Research helps dual major forge path at Kennesaw State

KENNESAW, Ga. | May 30, 2025

A dual major in biochemistry and psychology, Emily Clarke has taken the road less traveled at Kennesaw State University.

The rising junior is working toward a career in cognitive neuroscience and engaging in interdisciplinary research, with one hand in the Radow College of Humanities and Social Sciences and the other in the College of Science and Mathematics.

“I started off college knowing I wanted to go into neuroscience of some sort, so I picked biochemistry because I could gain a foundation in multiple disciplines,” she said. “I got involved in research through the First-Year Scholars program. My professor encouraged me to add a minor, but because she and I didn’t think that was enough for cognitive studies, I added the major in psychology.”

Clarke’s approach to academia is to pack as much into her four-year career as possible. A Dean’s List student in the KSU Journey Honors College, Clarke has excelled academically. In her spare time, she enjoys participating in KSU’s rock climbing and salsa clubs to maintain some balance.

She started her life as a scientific trailblazer at North Forsyth High School, where she was part of an inaugural AP capstone program that exposed her to advanced research-based classes. Following acceptance to Kennesaw State, she learned about undergraduate research and found the neuroscience project shortly thereafter.

“I figured it would just be something I did, like a side thing,” she said. “It became my major. I didn’t expect to embrace it as intensely as I have.”

She has presented two years in a row at the Spring Symposium of Student Scholars, the first project exploring the link between depression and testosterone. This year, she presented on the relationship between the COMT Val158Met genotypes, adverse childhood experiences and cognitive functioning. In both projects, the research delved into the interdisciplinary research of cognitive sciences, the future intersection of her two academic pursuits.

“The two areas of study work well together because they’re helping me understand concepts at the molecular level, especially since my research touches on genetics and biochemistry,” she said. “We do DNA extraction in combination with psychological and cognitive tests. It’s understanding the whole project rather than just a piece of it.”

Clarke continued with the research project through the Sophomore Scholars Program, and gave presentations at multiple conferences, notably the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR), the Southeastern Psychological Association (SEPA), and the Georgia Undergraduate Research Conference on Psychology (GURP).

Professor of psychology Sharon Pearcey supervised both the First-Year and Sophomore Scholars projects and has worked with Clarke since the beginning. She describes Clarke as a “spitfire of energy,” devoted passionately to neuroscience research, and a shining example of student involvement.

“Emily was in from the very beginning,” Pearcey said. “She had some great ideas about looking at this factor or that biomarker, just really driving the study. To do what she wants to do in research, she’ll need to earn her Ph.D., and I have no doubt she’ll get there. I look forward to being her colleague someday.”

With psychology covered, Clarke said she’ll look to do some research in biochemistry in the second half of her college career. She plans to keep presenting research and pursuing a publication, which will make her a competitive candidate for grad school. Mostly she’ll keep setting her own path.

“Kennesaw State feels more like a community where I can network, I can make friends, and I can live happy,” she said. “Kennesaw State has all the unique things I look for in college and in my life.”

– Story by Dave Shelles

Photos by Matt Yung

Research helps dual major forge path at Kennesaw State

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