Dr. Neena Grover

The RNA Society proudly highlights Dr. Neena Grover, a pioneer in RNA biochemistry education and science outreach. Dr. Grover has served as a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at Colorado College, a private liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, USA, for over twenty-five years. Her significant contributions to the scientific community include understanding small RNA structure and function, integrating community outreach into undergraduate science education, and developing innovative nucleic acid pedagogy. She has published numerous RNA journal articles with undergraduate students, such as “Thermodynamic examination of pH and magnesium effect on U6 RNA internal loop.” Additionally, Dr. Grover’s students helped develop several key physical spectroscopy methods to study various RNA motifs and structures. Recently, her students have been exploring coronavirus and RNA-based inhibitors. Dr. Grover is also a leader in diversity and inclusion in science education. She is a member of the RNA Society’s diversity, equity, and inclusion committee. She has served on the editorial boards of the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education Journal since 2004 and CourseSource, an open-access journal of peer-reviewed teaching resources, since 2016. As a long-time member of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB), she has served on the Education and Professional Development Committee, led several workshops on diversity in education, and played a key role in founding the first ASBMB-recognized student chapter. At the 2025 national ASBMB conference, Neena Grover received the William C. Rose Award for Exemplary Contributions to Education, recognizing her impact on RNA science education. Her keynote address (listen to the lecture here) emphasized the importance of scientific and educational collaborations, asserting that a vibrant and sustainable future for science and science education cannot exist in isolation. Additionally, she was honored by students with an award for excellence in teaching at Colorado College. Through her various efforts, Dr. Grover exemplifies how educators should work and grow alongside their students to make the world a better place.

"Students will do amazing things in supportive environments - when their ideas are valued and when they are allowed to take risks. We all should read and think broadly and lead a complex life, i.e., spend time with our families.Generating new paradigms requires creativity, risk-taking, and divergence before convergence."

Dr. Grover earned a master’s degree in Biophysical Chemistry from the University of Illinois, Chicago, and a PhD in Bioinorganic and Biochemistry from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, in the Thorp laboratory. Shestudied the electrocatalytic cleavage of DNA by high-valent ruthenium complexes. She explains that working with Holdan Thorp “had a huge impact” on her career. This experience gave her the confidence and strength to believe in herself. Afterwards, Dr. Grover joined the Uhlenbeck laboratory at the University of Colorado, Boulder (UC-Boulder), to explore the structural effects of metals and chemical modifications within tRNA and the Hammerhead Ribozyme; thus, broadening her perspective on the interplay between metals and nucleic acids.

During her time at UC-Boulder, Dr. Grover mentored several undergraduate students from Colorado College and worked alongside several liberal arts alums. This experience sparked her interest in science education at predominantly undergraduate institutions (PUIs). This began Dr. Grover ’s  journey into education began with a visiting assistantship at the University of Rochester and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) in Strasbourg. Soon after, Dr. Grover  started her professorship at Colorado College. “The motivation of students in my classes – both to learn and to do good in the world – has kept me here,” Grover explains.

She discussed how her students combine science and outreach: “Science teaches us how to examine the world and to give back in meaningful ways. For example, my students used to teach the science of HIV/AIDS in Tanzania,” and “my Biochemistry class on nucleic acids ... runs community events to understand HIV/AIDS as well as the coronavirus. We discuss vaccine costs and access. During the COVID outbreak, we hosted a panel on “Race, Racism and Vaccines” and explored differences in access to vaccines, information, and trust in the scientific community.” Dr. Grover further explains that “the CRISPR-Cas era and mRNA vaccines have brought RNA into the mainstream. It is an important time to educate those in the biology community who do not think about RNA to start considering RNA’s structure-function. For example, I use Kevin Week’s paper on HIV genome mapping, which shows the importance of the inter-protein linker regions in function.” She emphasizes the importance of educating the community that “RNA is not a straight line of 5’ to 3’ mRNA but has information that dictates folding, speed of protein synthesis, different packaging methods, and much more.” Therefore, Dr. Grover recently edited “Fundamentals of RNA Structure and Function” as a textbook to serve as an introduction to RNA science and technology for undergraduate students.

Although her position at Colorado College is highly rewarding, it has also presented some challenges. “One of the biggest challenges facing all undergraduate faculty doing RNA research at a small PUI is that we are the only RNA researchers. It is easy to become isolated, so building a community is crucial.” To overcome this, she helped establish a community of early-career faculty interested in Biochemistry and/or education; additionally, she collaborated with Doug Turner and Eric Westhof. She emphasizes that the recognition of undergraduate education within the RNA Society and its conferences is transformative and will help advance RNA education, foster an early love for RNA science among many students, and reduce barriers for the growing number of RNA biochemists and biologists at PUIs.

Dr. Grover credits many influential scientists for shaping her view of what it means to be a scientist. “Holden Thorp taught me how to think in stories and communicate science effectively. Olke Uhlenbeck taught me how to build a story from the evidence and think step by step. Liz Theil helped me understand the importance of equity and mentoring. Tom Cech has taught me to think broadly about our impact and how to take care of the people you are responsible for, leading gracefully. Brenda Bass taught me so much about being a woman in science who works hard and stays persistent. Doug Turner showed me how to focus and stay committed. Eric Westhof inspired me to make big connections.”

Her favorite RNA and RNA Journal articles focus on the U6 snRNA.  The U6 snRNA paper she published alongside her students (linked above) fostered her lab’s passion for understanding “the 1x2 internal loops, protonation-dependent base pairing, and role of ions all in one small, dynamic structure of U6 snRNA, which is at the heart of this huge spliceosome.” 

It comes as no surprise that Dr. Grover is also passionate about changing the culture of science. Inspired by the National Science Foundation workshop Reintegrating Biology, Dr. Grover collaborated on a recent article that examines cultural structures in Biology (Integrative and Comparative Biology 61: 2282–2293). The article explains that the choices surrounding the direction of scientific exploration are influenced by profitability, scientific upbringing, and cultural models. These choices, in turn, reinforce existing frameworks that impact scientific progress. The article argues that to genuinely create sustainable, integrative programs, an authentic commitment must be made to include large, diverse scientific perspectives and global experiences while addressing sexism, racism, and classism.

To contact Neena Grover, please visit the Grover Lab Website at https://www.coloradocollege.edu/academics/dept/chemistry/research_groups/grover_research_lab/research/index.html.