University of North Texas 
The Texas Leadership Research Scholars Program, which debuted in Fall 2024, is a Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board research scholarship and leadership opportunity program for high-achieving graduate students with financial need.
For Dr. Kayla Nguyen-Alley, the Texas Research Leader Scholarship is another step in achieving her teenage goals.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity,” says Dr. Nguyen-Alley. “I applied for a few grants
before, but those didn’t pan out, which is part of why I’m so grateful to receive
it."
Dr. Nguyen-Alley, who earned her doctorate this spring, is researching the effects of air pollution on the severity of systemic lupus erythematosus symptoms. Commonly known as lupus, the autoimmune disease can affect all organs and tissues in the body and causes swelling and inflammation. It has no known cure. Dr. Nguyen-Alley is also researching the potential for probiotics as a supplement to existing treatments to lower the use of traditional pharmaceuticals.
Her research journey is a personal one. When she was 14, Dr. Nguyen-Alley was diagnosed with lupus.
“Being 14, you’re already going through a lot, and then I had to change my entire lifestyle in order to accommodate this new condition.”
She went online to find answers to her questions, but found there weren’t many resources available, and many treatments seemed haphazardly slapped together.
“That frustration at the time morphed into this motivation for me. ‘If you want something done, you’ve got to do it yourself’ kind of thing,” says Dr. Nguyen-Alley. “The next question was, ‘How do I get there?’ And a Ph.D. was the answer.”
Dr. Nguyen-Alley joined UNT in 2019 as an undergraduate. During the pandemic, she earned special permission to go into professor of biological sciences Dr. Amie Lund’s lab to help graduate students on their projects. When everyone was allowed back, she worked on her own project about air pollution and COVID susceptibility. She graduated early in 2021 and took a gap year before rejoining Dr. Lund’s lab.
“I knew Dr. Lund would give me the freedom to pursue the kind of project I wanted, which was great. A second professor I had considered joined my doctoral committee instead, and now I’ll be joining her lab as a postdoctoral scholar at UT Southwestern, so it’s kind of come full circle.”
For her dissertation, Dr. Nguyen-Alley focused on kidney outcomes associated with lupus. Her research found that when exposed to air pollution, a known inflammatory stimulus, lupus symptoms worsened.
“There’s so much air pollution in just the DFW area. There are massive highways and constant construction, so it’s important to understand the risks they pose to human health. People have a right to know.”
At the same time, Dr. Nguyen-Alley explored how probiotics could assist with easing symptoms.
“Investigation into the gut microbiome is relatively new, but the gut is central to a lot of human health, so we’re getting promising results,” she said.
Nguyen-Alley will begin her postdoctoral work in the summer. She hopes to one day become a professor and be the primary investigator of her own lab.
“I really enjoy teaching and conducting research. I want to create better resources for other people who are in the position I was in. That’s the goal.”
The Texas Leadership Research Scholars Program, which debuted in Fall 2024, is a Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board research scholarship and leadership opportunity program for high-achieving graduate students with financial need.
UNT was among only nine public universities in the state selected to participate in the inaugural cohort of the program, which awards selected doctoral researchers a nearly $18,000 scholarship renewable for up to four years.
“The TLRS program provides access and opportunity to exceptional doctoral scholars to excel in their research, academics and graduate life. The funding removes barriers for our scholars as they expand their career and life experiences to be readied for the workforce. This investment by the state of Texas is highly impactful and life-changing for UNT's doctoral students,” says Brenda Barrio, UNT associate vice president for graduate studies and student research.
Check back on the UNT Research website throughout Summer 2026 to learn more about other students in this cohort of Texas Leadership Research Scholars.