Page 32 - CBAC Newsletter 2017

My first couple of years in the Ph.D. program was
tumultuous, I was not sure if this was the right path for
me. I did not know back then that a good mentor, scratch
that, a great mentor will help me find my way and I would
start enjoying the process. I define the Ph.D. program
as learning to ask the right questions and a lesson in
patience and perseverance. The Rudy Lab has provided
the nurturing environment I needed to grow as a creative
independent thinker and in the process, I have learned
a lot about my capabilities and myself. Most importantly,
my mentor and colleagues have taught me the value of
inter-personal relationships.

My motivation comes from my intrinsic curiosity. I am
unafraid to learn a new skill or search for solutions
outside of my comfort zone. My most important research
achievement is using Machine Learning algorithms to
reduce the necessary computational time for my project.
I enjoy the process of designing and putting the
components together and get excited when everything
works in tandem. I am passionate about helping people
lead a healthy life. On that note, with my thesis I hope to
deliver a universal blueprint for the study of protein
structure-function that would one day be used to design
drugs or to study mutation phenotypes.

My future goals include designing and building
technology that would help people and bring it to the
market at cost. In my spare time, I am learning to design
applications with augmented reality that could help
visualize protein structures in 3D. As a budding
scientist, I am extremely grateful to CBAC and its
community. I profit immensely from the exposure to the
state-of-art science and innovative research. The
seminars are very motivational and inspire me to
pursue cutting-edge work.

27 | CBAC Center Heartbeat