Of Life and Labor

The Science

Looking inside

Molecules, environmental exposures, and the research behind why pregnancy and birth look so different for different mothers.

stigmaantherfilamentstyleovaryloculeplacentareceptaclepetal (corolla)stamenovulepollennectarysepal (calyx)vascular bundle
Fig. 2. Flower in cross-section

Take a look

Documentaries worth your time

Not mine, just documentaries and explainers on maternal health that stuck with me!

Seen a good one? Add it!

A documentary, talk, or educational site on maternal health or women in science that stuck with you? Send it my way!

The chemistry of motherhood

Awesome molecules that help labor happen

All ones I feature over on @oflifeandlabor. Tap a card to read more!

The scientific background

Evidence from around the world

Real, published research showing how industrial and environmental exposure alters maternal and fetal health globally. This is the cited evidence behind why this site exists.

Japan and South Korea

Industrial chemicals and air pollution

Maternal exposure to air pollutants and volatile organic compounds is linked to higher rates of preterm birth and low birth weight.

Ooka et al. (2021), Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 18(22), 11748

Read the study →

East Africa

Mining and heavy metal pollution

Mining communities show elevated lead, mercury, and cadmium in pregnant women, tied to adverse birth outcomes.

Udom et al. (2025), Heliyon

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For the love of chem!

The periodic table

Interested? Tap any element to meet it, or hit Surprise me. Tap a family below to light it up.

57-71
89-103

More to tap

Two little pick-me-ups

Like the periodic table, these are one tap each. Tap for a note, or meet a founder!

Positivity notes

Black founders

Scientists who came before me

The people whose work made room

To date, no Black chemist has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. That is part of why I want to remember the ones who did the work anyway.

My own research

Chemistry, science, and maternal health

My research is a mix of chemistry and maternal health. Here is the short version!

Maternal health and postpartum depression

Ongoing · Writing and science communication

My essay "Beneath the Skin: The Horror in Silence" looks at how postpartum depression gets misread through art, culture, and clinical stories. Through Of Life and Labor and my content partnership with the UNC Office of Undergraduate Research, I also break down the chemistry of pregnancy, labor, and the weeks after birth.

Photoelectrochemical characterization of hybrid p-Si/SiOx electrodes for CO2 reduction

Spring 2025 – August 2026 · Undergraduate Researcher, Dempsey Lab, UNC Chapel Hill

This research targets excess CO2 from a chemistry angle, building electrochemical cells and using electron transfer to convert C1 products into useful products. This work was recognized with a competitive SURF fellowship award.

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I work on immobilizing molecular catalysts onto hydrogen-terminated silicon electrodes, essentially building tiny chemical systems that can drive this conversion efficiently. The goal is to better understand how these catalysts behave when anchored to a surface, a key step toward scalable, clean energy solutions. This project sits at the intersection of electrochemistry, materials science, and sustainability, and it's teaching me that the most important scientific questions are rarely simple ones.

Felsenstein and the stepping stone model

Spring 2024 · Mathematical Biology Research, UNC Chapel Hill

Investigating theoretical evolutionary dynamics based on populations structured over spatial landscapes. This research expands on Felsenstein's classic two-island model by mathematically extending the framework to a third island system, mapping complex patterns of migration and genetic divergence.

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Using a stepping stone model, I tracked how allele frequencies and linkage disequilibrium shift across three populations over time, then compared those results to what Felsenstein originally found, which pointed to recombination and natural selection as the main barriers to speciation in wild populations.

Plastic degradation and bioplastic synthesis

Summer 2023 · NSF / CXC Research Experience

An NSF / CXC research experience on plastic degradation and bioplastic synthesis, presented at a research symposium.

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The project investigated the resistance of common plastics to degradation using solvents including acetone, apple cider vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, and lemon juice, finding that more acidic and neutral pH solutions were ineffective against rigid plastics. The second component explored bioplastic synthesis, comparing starch-citric acid polymers and starch-glycerol polymers in terms of flexibility, transparency, and structural integrity.

See the full timeline, with photos, on Meet Liz →

On the way

More science, coming soon

The series

A recurring science series. Name coming soon!

Body Basics

Short explainers on how the body works. Coming soon!

Lizzy's Ligands

Coming soon!

Next

Postpartum, up close