Dr. Fontaine graduated from Purdue University with a B.S. in Animal Sciences and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Bath, where she worked on structural and cellular determinants of cellular prion infection. Dr. Fontaine then undertook a postdoctoral fellowship with Dr. Joel Ybe at Indiana University, where she focused on the structure and function of proteins involved in Huntington’s disease and cancer, followed by a fellowship with the late Dr. Chad Dickey at the Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute at the University of Florida. While in Dr. Dickey’s lab, Dr. Fontaine expanded her technical background and expertise in tau biology. Currently Dr. Fontaine is a senior scientist (level III) working with the Abisambra lab to understand the mechanisms behind structural and functional properties of the PERK protein and how this is

implicated in neurodegenerative diseases.

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When not in the lab, Dr. Fontaine enjoys camping, hiking, reading, knitting, cooking and baking, and playing tennis. She lives in Lexington, KY and Tampa, FL, with her family, two cats, and a leopard gecko.