I&M Admissions Committee

Where did you grow up and go to school?
I grew up on the French Mediterranean island of Corsica. After high school, I moved to the French mainland and obtained a B.S. in Biochemistry and a Ph.D. in Immunology from the University of the Mediterranean in Marseille.

Why did you decide to pursue science?
Volunteer work in an Immunology research lab during my undergraduate got me hooked!

Why did you choose to come to BCM?
The collaborative spirit, clearly visible during my interview, is what drew me and keeps me at BCM.

What are your research interests?
My research focuses on targeting ions and ion channels for the treatment of autoimmune diseases, mainly multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. As sources for ion channel modulators, I often turn to venom toxins.

How do you like to spend your time when not in the lab?
I spend as much time as possible outdoors, gardening or exploring the wetlands around Houston. I enjoy wildlife photography and Houston is a perfect place for this, being on one of the major migration routes for birds and monarch butterflies.

Where did you grow up and go to school?
I grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska and attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, majoring in Biology.  I then attended Baylor College of Medicine to pursue my Ph.D. in Cell and Molecular Biology.  

Why did you decide to pursue science?
As an undergraduate I was able to work in two different research laboratories that allowed me to do independent research.  Those experiences made it clear to me that I wanted to pursue a career in research. 

What are your research interests?
I became interested in how microbes impact human health while a postdoctoral fellow at MIT and built an independent research program at Michigan State University in the area of the human microbiome impact on health and disease.  In 2014 I moved back to Baylor College of Medicine as part of the Center for Metagenomics and Microbiome Research.  We currently are exploring several projects in the area of microbial therapeutics and hope to translate this work into solutions for the prevention and treatment of human disease.

Where did you grow up and go to school?
I grew up in Indiana and went to the University of Purdue for undergraduate education and Nebraska for doctoral training.

Why did you decide to pursue science?
I decided to pursue science when I started my postdoctoral training at BCM.

Why did you choose to come to BCM?
I came to BCM because I wanted to train with a specific person that became a great mentor in my early career.

What are your research interests?
My research interests are in pediatric nutrition and gastroenterology and my work is focused on how nutrition influences development and the risk for disease in premature infants.

Where did you grow up and go to school?
I grew up in Germany and went to medical school in Ulm. I wrote my dissertation on novel tuberculosis vaccines. In 2001, I came to the US to pursue a Ph.D. in Immunology at Harvard Medical School.

Why did you decide to pursue science?
I always wanted to be a scientist, preferably in astrophysics. At that time, there was hardly a market for such a choice, so I went to medical school instead. Luckily, I was able to fulfill my dream by becoming a biomedical scientist.

Why did you choose to come to BCM?
BCM is amazingly collaborative. I love the research being done here, the collegiality, and the proximity to a large medical center.

What are your research interests?
Our lab is working on protein quality control in cancers and in aging, with a focus on blood stem cells.

How do you like to spend your time when not in the lab?
I spend my time off with my family and try to convince my eight-year-old daughter how cool science is.

Where did you grow up and go to school?
I grew up in Brazil, and I went to Medical School there.

Why did you decide to pursue science?
I decided to pursue science because I felt connected to the biological questions, and I was fascinated to find some answers.

Why did you choose to come to BCM?
Because of BCM's reputation as a strong science place.

What are your research interests?
Dry eye, autoimmunity, Sjogren Syndrome, microbiome, aging.

How do you like to spend your time when not in the lab?
I spend the time with my family.

Where did you grow up and go to school?
I am from a farming town called Belvidere, in Northern Illinois. For undergraduate school, I attended Augustana College, where I majored in Biology and Philosophy. Then I came to BCM in 1999 for my Ph.D. studies in Molecular Virology in Dr. Mary Estes’ laboratory. I remained at BCM for my postdoctoral work where I became interested in viral ion channels and calcium signaling during infections. In 2014, I started my own lab here in the Center for Metagenomic and Microbiome Research and Molecular Virology and Microbiology department.

Why did you decide to pursue science?
There is something enthralling about empirically testing the world around us to try to decipher how it works at a foundational level. Science, particularly biology, lends itself to this kind of investigation. 

Why did you choose to come to BCM?
I choose BCM for my Ph.D. studies because, at the time, it had a long standing reputation for virology research. Over the past 20 years, I have chosen to remain at BCM multiple time. BCM is a ‘think tank’ of biomedical research, making it an exciting place to work. The Texas Medical Center is the largest medical center in the world, providing unique opportunities and an amazing depth of local expertise. Lastly, Houston is a great city to live. Here you can find local neighborhoods with a small town quality, as well as vibrant entertainment and night life options.

What are your research interests?
Our interests focus on how pathogens reprogram host signaling pathways to promote their replication. Largely we study enteric viruses, including rotavirus and calicivirus, but are broadly interested in any microbe that manipulates host signaling pathways.

How do you like to spend your time when not in the lab?
My husband is a native Houstonian, so we spend time with his family. We also enjoy trying new restaurants, which there are many many choices in Houston. Lastly, we enjoy traveling, especially weekend trips to San Antonio, Austin, and New Orleans.

Where did you grow up and go to school?
I grew up in Duncan, Oklahoma and attended Duncan High School.

Why did you decide to pursue science?
I became interested in science during my sophomore year of high school when I took biology and was encouraged by my teacher to apply for a two-year biomedical science program at the local technology center. In this program, I was exposed to anatomy, physiology, biology and more, but I was always the most interested when we talked about infectious disease. Not knowing you could do research as a career at the time, I decided to attend college with the goal of going to medical school to specialize in infectious diseases. I quickly realized after taking microbiology that I wanted to know more about this topic, so I joined a research lab. Joining this lab exposed me to research as a career and I quickly realized it was what I wanted to do.

Why did you choose to come to BCM?
I participated in BCM's summer undergraduate research program (SMART) and decided to apply to BCM for graduate school.

What are your research interests?
I am broadly interested in host-microbe interactions, but my current research focuses on the effect of nasal bacterial colonization on RSV infection using human nasal epithelial organoids as a model system.

How do you like to spend your time when not in the lab?
Playing with my cat, reading books(not for lab), watching tv/movies, visiting new restaurants/bars with friends, going to concerts

Where did you grow up and go to school?
I grew up in Hawaii, received a B.A. in Biology from Carleton College in Northfield, MN, and Ph.D. from Washington University in St. Louis, MO.

Why did you decide to pursue science?
I enjoy nature and uncovering its secrets.  My first instinct was to be an oceanographer but somehow got stuck on a tangent studying pathogenic viruses.

Why did you choose to come to BCM?
I came here because of the outstanding and diverse resources and expertise at BCM and within the Texas Medical Center.  We have a collegial and collaborative environment for research that supports exploration and development of innovative new ideas.

What are your research interests?
My main interests are HIV virus-host cell interactions, pathogenesis, and cure strategies, but my lab also studies SARS-CoV-2.

How do you like to spend your time when not in the lab?
I like to be outdoors biking, fishing, or caring for the garden, so I appreciate the mild climate.  I also enjoy sampling the diverse cuisine offered by Houston’s multicultural population.

Where did you grow up and go to school? 
I grew up in southern California and my Ph.D. was from Washington State University.

Why did you decide to pursue science? 
I’ve always been interested in biology and infectious diseases.

Why did you choose to come to BCM? 
The research environment attracted me.

What are your research interests? 
Ticks, tick-borne pathogens, diagnostics, pathogenesis, and vector biology.

How do you like to spend your time when not in the lab? 
I like hanging out with my family, cycling, and being outside. 

Where did you grow up and go to school?
I went to school in snowy Siberia - but quickly thawed after arriving to Houston to pursue my Ph.D. in Immunology at BCM.

Why did you choose to come to BCM?
BCM is a fantastic place to do basic and translational research in various areas of immunology and establish collaborations with other institutions in the Texas Medical Center. 

What are your research interests?
I am a part of the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy where we develop cancer therapies using engineered CAR T-cells and evaluate them in the clinic. 

How do you like to spend your time when not in the lab?
I enjoy spending time with my family or swimming, biking and running.

Where did you grow up and go to school?
I am originally from Puyallup, Washington and I got my bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology at Concordia University in Portland, Oregon.

Why did you decide to pursue science?
I’ve been interested in cell and molecular biology since high school, but it wasn’t until I took an undergraduate immunology course that I decided I wanted to pursue research as a career. When I realized how much is still unknown about the immune system and immune-mediated diseases, and heard about all of the incredible discoveries happening in the field, I knew I wanted to spend my career investigating these fascinating immunological questions.

Why did you choose to come to BCM?
I was originally drawn to BCM because of its excellent translational research labs and its location within the Texas Medical Center.  However, I was most impressed by how friendly and genuinely happy all of the graduate students were here.  I felt that studying at BCM would allow me to be challenged academically while still enjoying my time in graduate school.

What are your research interests?
I’m interested in studying the pathogenesis of and therapeutic targets for autoimmune and chronic inflammatory diseases. Currently, I’m investigating the role of fungal colonization in chronic intestinal inflammation.

How do you like to spend your time when not in the lab?
At home, I like to bake, read, and host board game nights with my friends.  I also love the outdoors and enjoy going hiking and backpacking.

Where did you grow up and go to school?
I grew up in SoCal (the San Fernando Valley to be exact) and spent three years at Moorpark College before transferring to the University of California, Irvine for a degree in Immunology and Microbiology.

Why did you decide to pursue science?
Science had been the most interesting subject to me in grade school, and I specifically felt drawn to biology. My high school teachers helped me see that it was not only an interest, but it was also something I was good at. I wasn't sure what health-related field I wanted to pursue until my junior year of high school when my older sister was diagnosed with the last two of her three autoimmune diseases. The pieces seemed to fall into place since I had not only an interest and affinity for science, but I had a motivation.

Why did you choose to come to BCM?
I chose BCM because of their community dynamic and resources. When I interviewed for the IY program, I quickly saw how supportive the faculty were and how close some of the students were with each other. They weren't competitive, yet they still pushed each other to excellence. What impacted me the most was their personal connections outside of work and their willingness to answer my questions well after the interview weekend was over. 
Additionally, the fact that BCM is in the Texas Medical Center meant that I could try to gain clinical exposure and perform translational research. It would also mean that there was a great opportunity for collaboration.

What are your research interests?
The foundation of my research interests could be described as "the relationship between the human microbiome and autoimmunity." Since my time at BCM, I have focused specifically on the vaginal microbiota and its impact on local and systemic immunity. In the future, I will explore the host: microbe relationship in the context of Rheumatoid Arthritis, an autoimmune disease that disproportionately impacts women.

How do you like to spend your time when not in the lab?
Coming from Los Angeles and growing up with traffic, I have found comfort in driving... don't judge me! When the weather is decent, I enjoy driving to random places I find on a map and exploring Houston/Texas in that way. I also like a good night in to watch dramas or shows/movies when I don't really have energy to go out after a day's or week's work. While I usually do these alone, I am an extrovert and enjoy hanging out with friends from BCM or my church.

Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Costa Rica and Houston. For graduate school, I attended UTSW Gradual School where I learned about genetics and mechanisms of apoptosis.  For my postdoc, I worked at Sanger Institute in Cambridge England where I gained a specialty in mouse genetic engineering, microRNA biology, and immunology. I then returned to Houston to establish my own laboratory.

Why did you decide to pursue science?
It is quite exciting to pursue answers to complex biological questions and present them to the world. I also take great pleasure in mentoring the new generation of graduate students.

Why did you choose to come to BCM?
BCM has a long history and reputation in generation of mouse knockouts and characterization of mice with disease phenotypes. I have an interest in inflammation and aging of the lung and roles of miRNAs as disease modifiers. I can’t think of a better place for carrying out cutting edge research with our novel disease models. 

What are your research interests? 
The lab studies the mechanisms of lung injury associated with chronic inflammation and the roles of microRNAs as potent genetic and epigenetic modifiers in this process.

How do you like to spend your time when not in the lab? 
Spending time with family and traveling as well as trail running.

Where did you grow up and go to school?
I grew up in Los Angeles California and I did my undergraduate at Brigham Young University in Utah. 

Why did you decide to pursue science?
I chose to pursue science because I enjoy learning past our current understanding of the world. 

Why did you choose to come to BCM?
I chose to come to BCM for its high-quality research. 

What are your research interests?
Microbial pathogenesis, virology

How do you like to spend your time when not in the lab?
Reading, playing board games, and lifting weights