McKenna Coughlin holds a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering with a concentration in Biomaterials from the University of Utah. She brings hands-on experience in clinical research and molecular diagnostics from her time at bioMérieux, where she helped organize a clinical study, processed and analyzed patient sample data, and contributed to independent research projects involving primer design and PCR. Her work supported the development of diagnostic panels and influenced project direction through data-driven insights. She also has experience in biomaterials research through her role in the Kramer Lab at the University of Utah, where she designed and synthesized mucin mimetics to better understand disease-related changes in mucus biochemistry.