Proposed research for graduate school

I have made significant progress in selecting my research lab(s) and am currently working through the final details with both the professors and the department. The goal is to ensure that my co-advisors are the right fit for my research and that we fully understand the department’s expectations before making anything official. This process has turned out to be far more administrative than I initially anticipated. As a student in the Interdisciplinary Quantitative Biology (IQ Bio) Program at the University of Colorado Boulder, pursuing a PhD in Biological Engineering through the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, I assumed that joining a lab at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical School would not only be accepted but encouraged. Given BioFrontiers’ emphasis on interdisciplinary research, I am surprised by the number of administrative hurdles involved in making this happen. While I understand the importance of departmental guidelines, the process has been more complex than expected. That said, I remain optimistic that everything will come together in a way that best supports my research goals.

As things stand, the current plan for my thesis involves two primary aims focused on statistical genetics, specifically studying Lipoprotein(a), a cardiovascular risk factor similar to LDL cholesterol. The third aim appears to be more flexible and does not necessarily need to align directly with the project I am funded on. I have several ideas for this, with particular interest in tensor decomposition, Bayesian statistics, immunology, and single-cell omics. Through discussions with my prospective advisors, there seems to be an opportunity to integrate Bayesian statistics into Aim 1, single-cell omics into Aim 2, and tensor decomposition and immunology into Aim 3. While some aspects may extend beyond my advisors’ core expertise, I feel confident in my ability to reach out to other experts for guidance. Of course, this is just the beginning of many conversations, and I am excited to see how my project evolves over time. I fully recognize that I may not be able to explore every interest in depth, but that’s part of the PhD journey. My focus is on positioning myself with the right mentors and collaborators to develop the skills, tools, and—most importantly—a way of thinking that will serve me well beyond graduate school. Additionally, I already have strong relationships with these advisors, which will undoubtedly help me achieve my goals both during and after my PhD.