Graduate student Heather Menzie passed away after a tragic automobile accident on Wednesday, May 13, 2015 in Bastrop, TX.

Heather was a doctoral candidate in the Integrated Multidisciplinary Graduate Program within the Microbiology and Immunology Track and was in the lab of Dr. Anthony Griffiths.

As an undergraduate, Heather was interested in the evolution of viruses and this theme continued at UT Health Science Center.

She recently passed her qualifying examination and was conducting her research at the Texas Biomedical Research Institute.

“A lot of the time people want a cure but they don’t realize they need to fund the research,” Menzie said in a recent interview with the Pipette Gazette. “Researchers are pivotal because without researchers, we wouldn’t have the cures that the doctors would need or that the pharmacists could prescribe.”

She was excited about this research and was in the process of starting to work in the BSL-4 laboratory. Heather was already a co-author on a manuscript and a third author on another publication.

A celebration of Heather’s life will be held on Wednesday, May 27, 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute Auditorium.

Heather’s biography, as well as details regarding her funeral service, have been posted.