Elena is a fifth year student in Mostafa Zamanian's lab and is studying parasitic worm receptor pharmacology! She is specifically investigating a class of cell membrane receptors called G protein-coupled receptors and their potential as anti-parasitic targets and their participation in how parasitic worms understand their environment. Her pharmacology focused projects have resulted in a desire to continue investigating receptor pharmacology and cell signaling. For her next step, Elena is excited to start pursuing post-doctoral research opportunities abroad as she prepares to graduate in the spring of 2027. Read more here.

Alex is a fifth year MDTP student in Dr. Andrew Hryckowian’s lab studying the short chain fatty acid, butyrate, which is produced by the fermentation of dietary fiber by gut microbes, and its effects on Clostridioides difficile virulence. His thesis work seeks to understand the genetic mechanisms through which C. difficile modulates its toxin release and sporulation in response to this gut metabolite. Alex is passionate about the gut microbiome and hopes to leverage his experience in future career opportunities in industry with an upcoming graduation in the Summer of 2027. Keep an eye out for Alex as he enters the job market! Read more here .

Sely, who was born and raised in Puerto Rico, is a rising 5th year in David Hershey’s lab. Her research focuses on developing a tool that can optimize and move complete bacterial biosynthetic pathways. Her sophisticated system is based on serine recombinases that mediate integration and expression of exogenous DNA cargoes into Alphaproteobacterial genomes. Sely is expected to complete her PhD in the Summer of 2028, and she is currently looking for potential postdoc positions (bonus points if it is in the Research Triangle). Read more here.

Heather is a fifth year student in the Rey lab studying the anaerobic metabolism of purines as carbon and energy sources by gut bacteria. Specifically, she is investigating the regulation of anaerobic purine metabolism through both a genetic and an environmental lens. Heather is passionate about mentoring and hopes to continue on in academia for her next steps, where she can pursue a balance of teaching and continuing her work studying bacterial interactions with host-derived metabolites. Outside of the lab, you can find her birding, going to concerts, or hanging out with her two cats!  Read more here.

This summer, I had the opportunity to attend the International Symposium VTEC 2026 at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, where I presented my PhD research through both a flash talk and a poster presentation. The meeting brought together researchers from around the world studying enteric pathogens, providing an excellent opportunity to discuss my work, receive valuable feedback from experts in the field, and build new scientific connections. Beyond the scientific sessions, I especially appreciated the welcoming and collaborative atmosphere of the conference and the many networking events. One highlight was the Civic Reception hosted by the Lord Provost of Aberdeen, where scientists from diverse backgrounds came together to celebrate the importance of scientific discoveries and engage in thoughtful discussions about the impact of past, present, and future research.

Attending this conference was made possible through travel support from multiple sources. I was fortunate to receive a WiSH UW Student Research Grant through the Graduate School's Student Research Grants Competition (SRGC), which supports graduate students presenting their research at scientific conferences, as well as an International Travel Award from the VTEC 2026 conference organizers. I encourage other MDTP students to explore these funding opportunities when planning conference travel. Presenting my research at an international meeting broadened my scientific perspective, strengthened my professional network, and gave me the opportunity to represent both my research and the MDTP program on a global stage.

Dr. Gloria Larson Darrah earned her PhD in 2019 in Dr. Andy Mehle’s lab. Her work involved characterizing human cellular proteins that regulate influenza virus replication. After graduating, she was an ORISE postdoctoral fellow at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention where she played multiple roles in the COVID-19 Emergency Response efforts – as a laboratorian in the Strain Surveillance and Emerging Variant Team, a Science Update writer for the Office of the Chief Medical Officer, and a member of the Global Rapid Response Team. Upon completion of her fellowship, Gloria shifted away from the bench and joined Catalent in Madison, WI as a Senior Technical Writer. Her job involves writing protocols for biologics manufacturing, generating data visualizations, and leading and supporting continuous improvement projects. Read more here.

Dr. Erin Conley completed her PhD with Prof. Michael Thomas in May 2025. Her dissertation aimed to define the determinants of substrate selection in natural product biosynthesis, a multidisciplinary project that involved training in microbial genetics, enzymology, protein engineering, microbial physiology and protein structure-function analysis. With a desire to stay at the bench, following graduation she accepted an R&D position at Promega, working with the Protein Engineering and Endogenous Biology groups to engineer enzymes involved in CRISPR genome editing. She loves that she gets to think creatively about proteins every day, and gets to continue learning and collaborating with incredible scientists. When not at the bench, Erin can be found curating her vintage dress and record collections, gardening, and playing outside with her three young children. Read more here.