In one of the country’s most diverse and fast-growing cities, it’s not unusual to find people juggling multiple roles. But few balance them quite like HTC Kelly, a postdoctoral researcher at Rice University by day and a Houston Texans Cheerleader on nights and weekends.
Kelly, who completed her doctoral work in psychology before joining Rice’s BMED Lab, studies how stress and emotion shape the health of individuals across the lifespan. Her work focuses on the relationship between physiological stress responses, emotion regulation and long-term mental, physical and cognitive outcomes — research that aligns with Rice University’s broader efforts to understand and advance human health.
“I was really attracted to the BMED lab because it’s very focused on the relationships between stress and health and how stress kind of gets under the skin,” she said.
Her research aligns with Rice’s newly launched Institute of Health Resilience and Innovation, which aims to develop science-based approaches to enhancing health and well-being in Houston and beyond. Kelly serves as a postdoctoral liaison to the institute, helping connect researchers, practitioners and community partners who work to understand how stress influences health at biological, psychological and social levels.
Yet, even as she pursues complex scientific questions, Kelly spends evenings and weekends performing in front of tens of thousands of fans as a member of the Houston Texans Cheerleaders. She first auditioned during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the team offered virtual tryouts, and gradually worked her way onto the roster of her “dream team.”
Although the two worlds might look unrelated, Kelly says they share more common ground than people realize.
“Although it seems like Rice and the Houston Texans might be completely separate on paper, it all boils down to wanting to help people and help people be happier and healthier,” she said. “On my cheerleader side, I get to spread joy … and then here in my Rice role, I get to come at it from the research side.”
The dual roles require meticulous time management, a reality embraced by many members of the Texans Cheerleaders, who balance full-time careers, graduate study or parenting with their commitment to the team. For Kelly, the rhythm of switching between research participant interviews and stadium performances has become second nature.
“It’s a very busy life, but it’s a very exciting life, and no two days are the same,” she said. “There is no such thing as a typical day.”
Her passion for dementia and caregiver research is rooted in personal experience. A family member’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis shaped her early academic interests, and today she contributes to studies examining why some caregivers remain resilient under chronic stress while others face elevated health risks.
Despite her demanding schedule, Kelly says one of the best parts of her role with the Texans is the chance to connect with the Houston community, from appearances across the greater metro area to greeting familiar faces on game day.
“You get to see people out in the community and then see them in the stands,” she said. “It really makes Houston feel like a smaller town than it is.”
In the lab or on the field, Kelly represents two sides of Houston — a city where world-class science and world-class sports coexist and where the people behind them often share a simple, common goal: to lift others up.