Claire W
- Research Program Mentor

PhD candidate at University of California

Expertise

Plant biology; plant-pathogen interactions; microbiology

Bio

My undergraduate education at Wellesley College, a small liberal arts institution, gave me the opportunity to not only develop my lab skills and build scientific knowledge, but also to work on my communication skills. My favorite courses were "Plant Biology" and "Russian Literature." I'm now a PhD candidate in a plant pathology lab where I'm exploring unknown pathways of communication between plants and fungal pathogens. I've had the support of mentors throughout my life, and I know what a difference a good mentor can make. I'd love to mentor someone who wants to pursue science, as I think the world needs more people who are interested in understanding the world around them. When I'm not in the lab I love to read (mostly fantasy and sci-fi), knit and crochet (I'm part of a "Sip & Stitch" group that meets weekly for coffee and crafts), and play video games (Hades and Bloodborne are currently my favorites).

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.

Are Your Houseplants Happy?

A review or research paper (or another presentation format) examining growing conditions that common houseplants require. Would include focal points such as grouping plants together to create humid conditions and details on common pathogen infections, like root-rot.

GM-wOah

A science communication endeavor (podcast, blog, etc) to educate the public about genetically modified organisms (plants!) (GMOs). Focal point on one crop/organism (like apples or potatoes) and then going into detail about the process of generation/regulation/public acceptance.

Coding skills

Basic python and R

Languages I know

n/a

Teaching experience

I was a TA for an upper-division intro to plant biology course. This involved leading lab sections and holding office hours. All over zoom.

Credentials

Work experience

Adaptive Phage Therapeutic (2018 - 2018)

Intern

Education

Wellesley College

BA Bachelor of Arts (2019)

Biological Sciences

n/a

BA Bachelor of Arts candidate

University of California

PhD Doctor of Philosophy candidate

Botany and Plant Sciences

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Claire W - Research Program Mentor