Nancy Hernandez ’13 making new discoveries as FDA scientist
October 13, 2026 — As a pharmaceutical scientist for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Nancy Hernandez ’13 has led interdisciplinary research projects and co-invented two patents.
“At the FDA, I have felt a lot of freedom to do various projects in computational design,” Hernandez says describing an algorithmic problem-solving methodology that uses digital capabilities to develop solutions. “Those technologies enabled me and my team to work on enhancing drug effects and getting positive results.”
Nancy Herenandez ’13 stands in the FDA office. In the background are the state of Maryland, U.S. Public Health, and FDA flags.
During one recent research project, Hernandez and her FDA colleagues developed a protein that was not inhibited when entering the body. Blood thinners help prevent dangerous blood clots, but they can also make it harder to stop bleeding after an injury. Hernandez and her colleagues modified a protein that helps blood clot, so it could keep working even with thinner blood present.
“This could eventually help doctors stop serious bleeding in patients taking these medications,” Hernandez said. “It reduced bleeding in mice, but more research is needed before we know whether it would work safely in people.”
With expertise in antibody/protein generation and optimization, Hernandez is responsible for reviewing and evaluating comprehensive information and data regarding chemistry, formulation, manufacturing, biopharmaceutics, environmental impact, and technical aspects of labeling for investigational new drugs.
“One of the things I wish people understood in science is that there is a lot of work [that goes into drug development and review], and for some reason, individuals have a hard time understanding the risks of a drug,” Hernandez says. “Our patent discoveries take a lot of data and time, and people should trust the FDA and their resources.”
Attending high school in Los Angeles, Hernandez recalls having little contact with the health industry while growing up. “I was a first-gen student, and my parents immigrated from El Salvador,” she says. “Despite the fact that they were technicians back home, in the U.S. they could only work cleaning houses.”
From her student days, Hernandez is pictured with Chemistry Professor Heriberto Hernandez-Soto after a poster presentation during a Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science event.
However, she remembers quite clearly one day at age 7 when she was helping her mom at work. “Do you really want to do this in the future?” her mother asked. Nancy looked at her mom as a role model, and that moment really inspired her to pursue a degree.
At Grinnell, Hernandez studied biology and initiated with her peers a SACNAS (Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science) student organization. She also teamed up with Chemistry Professor Heriberto Hernandez-Soto to work on projects to advance diversity in STEM. She emphasizes how important that was to exploring new fields in science and building connections in the field.
With a Ph.D. in chemistry and chemical biology and quantitative biomedicine from Rutgers University, Hernandez did not follow a traditional career path in academia.
“It was actually during a SACNAS conference that I had the opportunity to meet Rutgers professor Alan Goldman. He encouraged me to join a Rutgers summer Research Experiences for Undergraduates, where discovering Sagar D. Khare’s [associate professor of chemistry at Rutgers] research inspired me to apply for graduate school there,” Hernandez explains. “Exploring your interests and getting to see the world out there really can change your path.”
During graduate school at Rutgers, Hernandez was recognized for her excellence in leadership and teaching. In fact, her fellow graduate students would joke that she had her own lab considering Hernandez was mentoring eight to ten undergraduate students at a time.
Hernandez and Debbie Cifuentes Ramirez ’13 took a picture with the Grinnell sign during their graduation in 2013.
As an 18-year-old starting out at Grinnell, Hernandez never thought she would be the one now inspiring undergraduate students to work on bio-design projects.
“It was really gratifying to see those students at my lab during my Ph.D. applying for competitions and getting really involved in the field,” she says. “Both my experience at Grinnell and my doctorate taught me that you have to figure out and seek most opportunities on your own.”
With her future work at FDA, Hernandez is extremely interested in implementing AI, especially in machine learning training for protein development.
In fall 2013, Hernandez returned to campus to participate in the Alumni in Classroom program. She has also returned for Reunion and had a great time reconnecting with her professors.
“I think students should definitely keep in mind that networking is huge,” she says. “I believe it will be crucial for them to build their careers and grow into their lives.”
—by Sophia Ramalli ’27