When Tanner Blocker (PhD ’27, CELL) started graduate school, his biggest challenge wasn’t the workload or the research—it was the nagging fear that he didn’t belong. Now, as he investigates how neurons in the brain communicate through synaptic transmission, he reflects on how mentorship, persistence, and faith shaped his path as a scientist and helped him find belonging.
Synaptic transmission depends on proteins folding into precise shapes to properly carry out their role to foster communication between neurons. By uncovering how this process is regulated, Blocker hopes to offer new insights on what happens when these signaling pathways breaks down and how such disruptions might contribute to disease. “My research shows how biophysical research here at BYU can lead to discoveries that help us combat disease and stress,” Blocker says. “It is through basic research like this that future therapies and medications can be developed to treat neurological diseases.”
Blocker and his colleagues published their findings on how environmental conditions influence the folding and function of the SNARE protein SNAP-25, which is essential for communication between neurons. Their work, which sheds light on mechanisms that might contribute to neurological disorders, was also presented at the Biophysical Society Annual Meeting.
Building Confidence Through Connection
Though he has come a long way, Blocker still remembers the pressure he felt to reach the finish line before he had even begun. Support from his mentor, Dr. Dixon Woodbury, helped him push through those doubts with meaningful encouragement. Now, as Blocker mentors undergraduate students, he aims to offer the same steady encouragement that helped him find his footing.
"Science," he says, "is built on trial and error. You make a bunch of mistakes before you ever succeed.” He wants students to know it’s okay not to get it right on the first try.
Holding the Course with Faith
Blocker describes his greatest strength in the Woodbury Lab as consistency—showing up every day, putting in the time, and trusting the scientific process. “It’s not a sprint as much as it is a marathon,” he explains. That persistence shapes both his research and how he approaches challenges in the lab.
When Blocker begins to feel unsure about his research, he turns to the Lord, asking whether he is on the right course. “Each time, the answer would be like, ‘Hold the course. Do your best work right now. And as you do your best work right now, those doors are going to open up to new things.’” Even when his research process is long or tedious, he says that “Heavenly Father sees effort, and He rewards it.”
With plans to pursue biotech industry research on neuron protein structures and disease, Blocker leaves graduate school with the lessons that helped him first find his footing. The doubts that marked the beginning of his journey have settled into a quiet confidence—one built through mentorship, persistence, and trust in God—guiding him toward whatever opportunities come next.