Please provide a brief paragraph describing your field and the focus of your research.

               At RPI, I launched my research journey under the mentorship of Dr. Fraser and Dr. Bonocora. I investigated the effects of the NSAID acetaminophen on transposon stability in bacteria. I realized I especially enjoyed conducting wet-lab research but also wanted to explore the realm of computational biology work.  Currently, as part of the Hurley lab I am working with Sharleen Buel (graduate student) to explore the effects of time-of-day on mouse macrophage immune response. Employing a multi-OMICs approach, I develop and apply computational methods in Python and R programming to analyze the data.

What has surprised you the most about the fellowship?

There is an amazing Goldwater Scholar community, and I am so excited to connect with peers who have also won this scholarship. 

What is your vision for your future; what do you expect to be doing after your fellowship?

I aim to pursue a PhD where I conduct research combining computational biology with structural biology to understand the mechanisms of proteins involved in complex diseases. Research has limitless avenues, and I am beyond excited to further delve into it. 

What advice do you give to current students considering applying to programs? 

 Take a step forward and go for it! My biggest advice is to start early. For the essays, it is extremely important to be clear and concise of the topics you are covering, which is something I learned as I was putting together my application. I would also encourage future students to work with their research mentors and utilize their resources wisely, especially the Fellowship Office.