Rebecca Pollet is an Assistant Professor in the Chemistry department at Vassar College. She teaches introductory chemistry and biochemistry. Her research lab focuses on characterizing proteins important in carbohydrate utilization by the human gut microbes, especially Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron.

Before arriving at Vassar, Rebecca served as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology at Davidson College for one year. She taught introductory biology (Integrated Concepts in Biology I), Biochemistry, and Biochemistry of Traditional Medicine.

She worked as a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Michigan. She worked in the lab of Nicole Koropatkin studying the human gut microbe Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron.

Rebecca received her her PhD in Biochemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she worked in the lab of Matthew Redinbo on β-glucuronidase enzymes from the human gut microbiota. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry at the University of Tulsa where her love of teaching and research were founded.

Rebecca is passionate about undergraduate education and sharing science with the public. She previously served as a faculty member for the Bard College Citizen Science program. Rebecca also enjoys working with undergraduate students in the research lab. She has received training in effective teaching and mentoring through experts at University of Michigan, University of North Carolina, and several other institutions. Rebecca is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation.