Who i am

I was born in Tacoma, Washington, the third of eight children, and part of a very large extended family. We frequently visited the Olympic Rain Forest, Pacific Ocean beaches and Mount Rainier where I developed a curiosity about nature and a desire to understand how things work.

I have always been passionate about art and science. I took my first formal painting classes when I was nine years old. I continued creating art and showing my work professionally in galleries. I earned a BFA in ceramics from the University of Washington in 1989, where I studied with Howard Kottler, Patty Warashina, Bob Sperry, and Alden Mason.

In 1989, I also earned a BS degree in Chemistry from UW, then a PhD in Biophysics from Stanford University in 1995, followed by postdoctoral work at UW. Since then I worked to develop new medicines in the pharmaceutical industry in the San Francisco Bay Area. I currently work for Roche / Genentech with the goal of developing important new medicines for patients in need. I maintain a keen interest in the science underlying the immune system and cancer.

I met my husband Bill Kiemle 33 years ago. While on a road trip around America, Bill invited me for a ride in his canoe on Lake Ontario. We have one son, Daniel, two cats, a Black Lab named Buck, and a new puppy named Rosi.