Author: Ayesha Mahmood
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Koalafications
Even before starting grad school, I knew quals would be the most difficult hurdle to overcome, even more so than difficult classes, reviewer comments, and the defense itself. The qualification exam, or quals, is a black box. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of consistency between the programs when describing or preparing for it,…
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Dr. Urbain Weyemi
Genomic Instability & Redox Homeostasis in Human DiseasesJoined Fall 2020 Dr. Urbain Weyemi initially considered a medical school route but was drawn to the program’s multidisciplinary nature. “We’re not restricted to a specific research area”, he mentions. “It gives you a lot of perspective in terms of collaboration”. His lab’s research is focused on genomic…
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Have we #ShutDownSTEM?
2020 was a difficult year in many respects. The COVID-19 pandemic left millions isolated at home with a tenuous outlook for the future. Politics had become increasingly volatile. Then, around the world, people witnessed the senseless murder of George Floyd. Although this was not the first time that minoritized communities had been plagued by the…
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Dr. Andrés Jara-Oseguera
Dr. Jara-Oseguera was attracted to the city of Austin’s great reputation. He also has several colleagues in the neuroscience department that he has known for many years, and likes the fact that it’s a large public university which mirrored his own experience attending university in Mexico. His research is broadly focused on two sets of…
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Dr. Despoina Mavridou
Biology of Gram-negative Bacteria & Processes in the Extra-Cytoplasmic Environment.Joined Fall 2020 Dr. Mavridou was based in Europe, with a group in London before moving to UT. She is broadly interested in the biology and biochemistry that happens at the cell envelope of Gram negative bacteria. “It is that last frontier between the cell and…