Dr. Moriah Beck's journey as a scientist is rooted in the belief that research is a powerful driver of innovation and personal transformation. For Beck, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at Wichita State University, research is far more than an academic pursuit — it’s a way to connect with a global scientific community and spark change. 

“Undergraduate research is really why I'm here as a professor,” Beck said.  

Her own transformative experience began as an undergraduate at Eastern Kentucky University, where her advisor encouraged her to reach out to a Harvard University faculty member for guidance on her senior thesis. 

“Within just a week or two, this renowned professor from Harvard responded, providing me with a wealth of resources to help with my research,” Beck recalls. “That moment really inspired me. I realized how collaborative the scientific community is. It was exciting to be pursuing research and feeling like I was part of something much larger.” 

Her commitment to empowering students is at the heart of her work. By creating opportunities for undergraduate research and mentorship, Beck ensures that students gain the skills, confidence, and inspiration to contribute meaningfully to the scientific community — just as she was once inspired by her own mentors. 

Today, Beck’s research, which is supported by roughly $750,000 in National Institutes of Health grants, focuses on how changes in a protein called myopalladin are linked to heart disease.  

“There’s still so much we don’t know about myopalladin. But because we were studying a similar protein (palladin), we were able to apply similar concepts to uncover how mutations in myopalladin might impact muscle structure and function.” 

Myopalladin is a protein in the heart and skeletal muscles that helps maintain the structure and function of the sarcomere, the unit responsible for muscle contraction. Changes in this protein have been linked to muscle diseases like cardiomyopathies and skeletal myopathies. Myopalladin works closely with another protein, actin, to support the structure of heart and skeletal muscles. Because the actin in heart muscles is more stable than in other tissues, researchers are studying how mutations in myopalladin might affect the heart's actin structure and its ability to function properly. 

“We're really looking at how myopalladin and actin bind to each other,” Beck said. “If we want to prevent that interaction or enhance it or use gene editing, we need to know how to do that. Understanding the basics of that interaction will eventually help someone take that basic knowledge and apply that to hopefully treat or diagnose heart disease or cancer metastasis,” Beck said.  

Beck is an advocate for the importance of basic research, emphasizing its foundational role in scientific discovery and innovation. Unlike applied research, which focuses on practical applications and immediate solutions, basic research seeks to deepen our understanding of fundamental principles and phenomena. This exploratory work often serves as the cornerstone for groundbreaking advancements, laying the groundwork for future innovations. 

Deeply committed to fostering the next generation of scientists, Beck regularly includes undergraduates in her research, offering them a hands-on opportunity to shape the future while discovering their own potential. Over the years, dozens of students have benefited from Beck’s teaching and mentorship.  

One of those students is David Liu, who graduated from Wichita State in 2023 with a Bachelor of Science in nursing. Liu has worked in Beck’s lab since 2020, and he — along with five other researchers – worked with Beck to write “Integrated structural model of the palladin-actin complex using XL-MS, docking, NMR, and SAXS,” which is in currently in the preprint phase of publication.   

“Research is an experience that definitely changed the career path I plan on pursuing, and Dr. Beck is a wonderful mentor in helping students develop research skills,” said Liu, who is currently employed as an emergency room nurse for the University of Kansas Health System.  

For his part of the project, Liu worked on data analysis and “helped develop the pipeline to figure out how to analyze cross-linking mass spectrometry data,” he said.  

Working in the lab and Beck’s mentorship have influenced Liu’s career ambitions: “Initially I was planning on advancing my career in nursing; but after doing research with Dr. Beck, I have since changed my mind and plan on pursuing an M.D. or Ph.D. program. I am currently taking classes to hopefully apply next year.” 

Beck is the founder and program director of Wichita State’s First-Year Research Experience (FYRE) program, where she advocates for undergraduate research and its transformative impact on student learning and success. Through FYRE, first-year students are connected with “authentic hands-on research experiences in a variety of STEM-related disciplines,” according to the FYRE website. She also founded the annual Expanding Your Horizons (EYH) conference at Wichita State, which has introduced middle school girls to a variety of STEM fields every year since its inception 12 years ago. 

For her efforts in promoting undergraduate research and STEM for girls, Beck was recently honored by the Association for Women in Science with the Meridian Award, which celebrates “mid-career professionals whose diversity and inclusion efforts represent true leadership in the pursuit of workplace equity.” 

Dr. Doug English, chair of Wichita State’s Department of Chemistry, said that Beck has always been an active advocate for STEM education and women in science because she knows and appreciates the challenges that women may face in traditionally male-dominated STEM fields.  

“What I find most impressive is Moriah's tireless dedication to sharing her enthusiasm for research and science education,” English said. “Her efforts in our department are applied evenly to all people whether they are students, parents or colleagues and regardless of a person's background. Moriah will always respond in a helpful and supportive way whenever possible on issues that promote scientific thought and research.”  

Dr. Kimberly Engber, dean of the Cohen Honors College, said Beck gives generously of her time and talent to establish and maintain interdisciplinary intellectual community for faculty and students at Wichita State.

“She knows the power of showing up. She shows up for a lot of people, for large and small events, on campus and off. We’re lucky to have her dedication to lifting others up as she continues her significant commitment to scientific research,” Engber said.  

In her submission for the Meridian Award, Beck wrote: “Many count their publications or grant funds, but my most important career achievements are the 60-plus students that I have mentored in my research lab. Each individual requires my attention and time, but the reward of seeing their eyes light up when they encounter the joy in discovery is worth every minute.” 

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Wichita State University is Kansas' only urban public research university, enrolling more than 23,000 students between its main campus and WSU Tech, including students from every state in the U.S. and more than 100 countries. Wichita State and WSU Tech are recognized for being student centered and innovation driven.

Located in the largest city in the state with one of the highest concentrations in the United States of jobs involving science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), Wichita State University provides uniquely distinctive and innovative pathways of applied learning, applied research and career opportunities for all of our students. The National Science Foundation ranked WSU No. 1 in the nation for aerospace engineering R&D, No. 2 for industry-funded engineering R&D and No. 8 overall for engineering R&D.

The Innovation Campus, which is a physical extension of the Wichita State University main campus, is one of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing research/innovation parks, encompassing over 120 acres and is home to a number of global companies and organizations.

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