A Circuitous, Yet Fulfilling Path in Biological Research (two thousand twenty-four)

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been absolutely captivated by two seemingly disparate fields: mathematics and biology. Math, with its elegant logic and predictive power, always felt like a beautiful puzzle waiting to be solved. Biology, on the other hand, throbbed with life – a complex and intricate dance of molecules, cells, and organisms that never ceased to amaze me. Trying to choose just one as a career path felt like choosing between breathing and, well, thinking!

The Undergraduate Journey: Where Biology Met Engineering

My undergrad years were all about exploring the fascinating intersection of these two passions. I dove headfirst into a Bachelor’s degree in Biological Engineering, lured by the prospect of applying mathematical principles to unravel the mysteries of living systems. It was like learning a new language – the language of math – to decipher the secrets of life. And let me tell ya, it was exhilarating!

One particular experience during those formative years solidified my love for this interdisciplinary approach. I had the opportunity to work on a project that involved modeling bacterial growth using, get this, differential equations! Yeah, I know, total nerd alert! But seeing those equations accurately predict the growth curves of actual, living bacteria was mind-blowing. It was like I had unlocked a secret code, a glimpse into the mathematical underpinnings of life itself.

Shifting Gears: From Engineering to the Allure of Biochemistry

After graduating with my engineering degree, I felt a strange pull towards the more traditional realms of biochemistry and biology. It was like I had gotten a taste of the mathematical side of things, but now I craved a deeper understanding of the biological processes themselves. So, I decided to switch gears and pursue graduate studies in Nutritional and Metabolic Biology.

Why this particular field? Well, I’ve always been fascinated by the intricate ways our bodies process the food we eat and how those processes influence our overall health. Plus, metabolic diseases like obesity and diabetes were (and still are!) major health concerns. I wanted to be a part of the effort to understand these complex conditions and hopefully contribute to finding new ways to prevent and treat them.