Kim R. Simpfendorfer, PhD, is an assistant professor at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research in the Institute of Molecular Medicine. Her lab is located in the Robert S. Boas Center for Genomics and Human Genetics, headed by professor Peter K. Gregersen. She has more than 15 years of experience in biomedical research and currently holds a Mentored Research Scientist Career Development Award (K01 award) from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS). Dr. Simpfendorfer's research focuses on understanding how genetics drives autoimmune disease development at the cellular level to better understand how disease can be prevented or treated therapeutically. The foremost autoimmune diseases studied are rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus and scleroderma. Dr. Simpfendorfer completed her undergraduate degrees and PhD at the University of Melbourne in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology in Melbourne, Australia. She joined the Center for Genomics and Human Genetics in 2010 as a postdoctoral fellow to work on the functional genetics of human autoimmunity. Kim served on the executive committee of the Young Investigators Society and is now the co-chair of Advancing Women in Science and Medicine (AWSM) at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research.