Feature

Graduate student feature: Marian Dominguez-Mirazo

October 29, 2021 by adavidson38 Leave a Comment

Quantitative Biosciences Ph.D. student Marian Dominguez-Mirazo successfully defended her thesis proposal on October 19th, 2021. We are delighted to feature Marian to commemorate her successful defense and progression to Ph.D. candidate.

Originally hailing from Iguala, Guerrero, Mexico, Marian joined the Weitz Group in 2018 after completing a bachelor’s degree in Genomics at the National University of Mexico (UNAM). We asked Marian some questions about her work, her time in the Weitz Group, her advice for the science-minded, and her plans for the future.

Describe your primary research project in 5 words or less.
“How do viruses shape populations?”

What initially interested you in viral ecology/quantitative/theoretical science?
There are very few things I like, but the ones I do like, I like A LOT. I really like viruses cause they are constantly defying our understanding of biology. I also like math a bunch, pretty much since I was a kid. So theoretical virology just made sense as a science path for me.

What three words would you use to describe your time in the Weitz Group?
Challenging, fun, insightful.

What is one thing you wish more people knew about being a scientist?
Science can only exist within society, therefore it is not isolated from social problems.

What are your plans for the future?
I would like to stay in science and travel the world while doing it.

Graduate student feature: Guanlin Li

May 20, 2021 by adavidson38 Leave a Comment

Originally hailing from China, Guanlin Li joined the Weitz Group as a PhD student from the School of Physics in 2017. We asked Guanlin some questions about his background, his time in the Weitz Group, his advice for the science-minded, and his plans for the future.

Where were you and what were you doing before you joined the Weitz Group?
I was in the math department at Georgia Tech finishing my M.S in mathematics and doing research in numerical PDE and theoretical analysis on some PDE system modeling chemotaxis.

Describe your primary research project in 100 words or less.
We combine dynamical modeling of population-scale virus-host systems with optimization- and control-theoretic principles, to devise the timing and composition of therapeutic phage cocktails in phage therapy.

How about 5 words or less?
How viruses ‘cure’ bacterial infections.

What initially interested you in viral ecology/quantitative/theoretical science?
The many cool applications of applied math tools in biological sciences.

What three words would you use to describe your time in the Weitz Group?
Pleasant, motivated, coordinative.

What are some things you enjoy doing in your free time?
Playing basketball, hiking, and watching movies.

What are your plans after graduating from Georgia Tech and the Weitz Group?
I’ll be going into the financial industry to develop trading strategies using math tools and algorithms.

What advice do you have for future graduate students?
Just learn about something you are interested in, not necessarily something related to research, academia, or industry. Always ‘hedging’ the future makes one anxious, and limits the skills you’ll learn. Do something different and unique that interests you.

What advice do you have for those interested in becoming a scientist?
If you have free time and don’t know what to do, then learn more math! You can never know enough and it’s always useful.

The Weitz Group welcomes three summer REU students

May 17, 2021 by jirons3 Leave a Comment

The Weitz Group is excited to welcome three REU students to Georgia Tech this summer. To learn about our new group members, we asked them to answer questions about their experiences and hopes for the future.

Welcome, Sophia, Isimeme, and Caitlin.

Sophia Ellis is a junior and a Biology Major at Spelman College. She’ll work with Marian Dominguez-Mirazo this summer.

What are your current career plans/goals?

I would like to become a doctor, more specifically, a trauma surgeon.

Have you done research in the past? If so, what did you study?

Yes, I have done statistical analysis research as a part of the LSAMP research program, where I studied the importance of cells and tissues in stopping cancer. I have also studied antibiotic resistance in plants with my mentor at Spelman College.

Why did you choose to join the Weitz group this summer?

I chose to join the Weitz group this summer to learn more about collecting data through coding, and to get more of an in-person research experience since this past year, all of my research has been virtual.

What do you hope to gain from this experience?

I hope to learn more about microbiology since most of the biology that I have studied in school has been more cellular and molecular-based.

Do you have any other interests, hobbies, or etc, that you’d like to share?

I like to read, bake, take walks, and spin.

Isimeme Udu recently graduated with a B.S. in Biology from Spelman College. She’ll work with Daniel Muratore this summer.

What are your current career plans/goals?

I will be doing a masters in Medical Informatics at Dartmouth College

Have you done research in the past? If so, what did you study?

Yes – I have studied the trichosphaerium amoeba, leopard geckos, and evolution in parental care

Why did you choose to join the Weitz group this summer?

I wanted to improve my mathematical and computer skills (as well as verify the knowledge I know).

What do you hope to gain from this experience?

I believe this will be a rewarding experience where I can converse with people about my goals, science, and just have fun! I want to be in a space where I can learn as much as possible.

Do you have any other interests, hobbies, or etc, that you’d like to share?

I sew (sometimes), read, and do music on the side. I also like to travel!

@IsimemeUdu on Twitter

Caitlin Cheung is a 3rd year undergraduate in the Biomedical Engineering department at Georgia Institute of Technology. She’ll work with Andreea Magalie this summer.

What are your current career plans/goals?

I hope to go to graduate school and then do work that involves a combination of biology and computer science, although I’m not sure what yet. I think anything involving diseases and treatments would be really cool.

Why did you choose to join the Weitz group this summer?

I think the work done by the lab is really interesting. Before joining, I was interested in the impact of COVID, and I love that I get to be more involved in that now.

What do you hope to gain from this experience?

I hope to gain experience from working on real-world problems that will make a difference in the world.

Do you have any other interests, hobbies, or etc, that you’d like to share?

I am really into fitness and working out. I enjoy going to the gym and find that living a healthy lifestyle makes me a happier person.