Simranjit S
- Research Program Mentor
PhD at Duke University
Expertise
cancer biology, brain tumors, podcasting
Bio
My PhD research is focused on uncovering drug resistance mechanisms in glioblastoma (GBM), the most aggressive type of adult brain tumor. Cancers, in general, are challenging to treat, and GBM exhibits extreme resistance to therapies, making it one of the most difficult to treat cancer types. GBM is a complex disease, and my academic passion is to understand its molecular underpinnings in order to develop more efficacious therapies for patients. Outside of research, I enjoy interviewing scientists about their work for my podcast (Scientist the Human Podcast), playing basketball, and indoor rock climbing.Project ideas
Project ideas are meant to help inspire student thinking about their own project. Students are in the driver seat of their research and are free to use any or none of the ideas shared by their mentors.
Podcast discussing the efficacy of different cancer therapies
Students conduct background research on historical, current, and cutting edge cancer treatments. Students then generate a list of researchers and physicians in the field of oncology for interviews. Students contact researchers with interview requests, formulate questions based on researchers' expertise, conduct recorded interviews, edit audio, and publish interviews as podcast episodes.
Languages I know
Punjabi (speaking fluency), Hindi (speaking fluency)Teaching experience
Throughout my higher education I have enjoyed regularly tutoring and mentoring students from elementary school through early college. Often the tutoring has been for specific subjects (biology, math, writing), and sometimes it has been project-based (undergraduate student completing a summer research project in my lab).Credentials
Work experience
Duke University (2017 - Current)
PhD Candidate/ResearcherNYU Langone Health (2015 - 2017)
Research Technician/Lab ManagerEducation
New York University
BA Bachelor of Arts (2014)
EconomicsHunter College CUNY
MA Master of Arts (2017)
BiologyDuke University
PhD Doctor of Philosophy
Cancer Biology