Molecular motor proteins are tiny engines inside our cells, carrying life forward step by step. For Elise Weatherly, they’re not only the focus of her Ph.D. research, but also the perfect metaphor for the kind of leader she has become at UAB.
“Motor proteins move things forward,” she says. “That’s what I want to do—help people get to where they need to be.”
That philosophy has shaped her time at UAB--defined not just by her own accomplishments--but by the momentum she has created for others.
Elise’s journey didn’t begin at UAB. Her first year of college, spent closer to home in Atlanta, left her feeling unmoored. “I didn’t feel a part of the community,” she remembers. Transferring was a leap, but the moment she arrived at UAB she knew it was different. “I immediately felt like I belonged. I just loved it—it felt like home.”
That sense of belonging became a catalyst. It gave her the confidence to step into roles that would, in turn, help other students find their place. With Student Involvement & Leadership, she became executive director of the Leadership and Service Council, which oversees three of the university’s signature service programs—Into the Streets, Rise Against Hunger, and the MLK Jr. Beloved Community events—mobilizing hundreds of students in service to Birmingham.
During her tenure, each initiative offered a different way to connect students to something bigger than themselves. Into the Streets sent volunteers across the city for a day of hands-on projects, weaving ties between campus and community. Rise Against Hunger combined careful logistics with camaraderie, as students packed meals for food-insecure families while bonding over the work itself. And through the Beloved Community events, Elise helped honor Dr. King’s legacy by inviting students and Birmingham citizens to work side by side, moving closer to his vision of a just and united community.
It’s no surprise that Elise, a petite bundle of energy with a remarkable presence, was entrusted with these large-scale efforts, but her passion for powerlifting is a surprise—at least it was to her when she discovered it soon after transferring to UAB. As a member of UAB’s Powerlifting Club, which has competed nationally, she trains alongside teammates who have brought home first-place titles in their weight classes. Unlike UAB’s varsity sports, club sports are student-run, which means Elise and her teammates raise their own travel funds, manage compliance, and maintain a demanding training schedule on top of their scholastic responsibilities.
Elise views powerlifting as much a discipline of the mind as of the body. “You have to focus on form, patience, and helping others get stronger,” she says. For Elise, the lessons from the weight room mirror those of leadership. In both, strength is measured not just by personal records, but by the connections created and the encouragement shared.
Her imprint on UAB reaches beyond Student Involvement and Leadership. She has stocked shelves in Blazer Kitchen, ensuring students have access to food, and tutored student-athletes, helping them succeed in the classroom. As a transfer herself, she understands the difference it makes to find those “second spaces” on campus where belonging can take root.
Academically, Elise’s accomplishments are equally impressive. She has earned a B.S. in Medical Sociology, completed her MBA, and is beginning her Ph.D. in Chemistry, focusing on the intricate work of molecular motor proteins. With a laugh, she frames her teaching dream simply: “I want students to hate chemistry a little less.” Behind the humor is a genuine desire to make science approachable, accessible, and engaging for the next generation.
Ask Elise about leadership, though, and she quickly turns the spotlight outward. She talks about volunteers who discovered new passions, about classmates who found community through service, about the students she’s tutored who grew in confidence. She measures her success not in titles or awards, but in the progress of others.
It’s easy to quantify success in numbers—attendance tallies, retention rates, some things, like the campus-wide effect of Elise’s enthusiasm and energy cannot be quantified. Like the motor proteins she studies, she has spent her UAB years carrying things forward—students, communities, opportunities, and hope.
Yes, she lifts weights. But more importantly, Elise Weatherly lifts confidence, belonging, and voices. Her journey is leadership in motion. And just like those molecular engines at the heart of her research, she ensures that everything—and everyone—keeps moving forward.