Paul (he/him/his) is a senior STEM Scholar and University Scholar in the Special Program in Medicine pursuing a dual degree in Molecular & Cell Biology and Diagnostic Genetic Sciences with a minor in Bioinformatics on the pre-medical track. On campus, he is the Co-Networking Chair on the STEM Scholar E-Board, Volunteer Training Coordinator for the Middle School Science Bowl, a volunteer for the UConn Health Leaders program, and an outreach coordinator for the Genome Ambassador Program. Outside of school, Paul is also an EMT with the Tolland Fire Department and a member of Husky Hungama, UConn’s South Asian fusion a capella group.
Paul first got involved in research during the summer of his Freshman year through the Holster Scholar Program, which led him to join R. O’Neill lab. His research project focused on studying the blood of the North Atlantic Horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus), which contains potent bacterially sensitive clotting factors that are harvested by excessive bleeding by the pharmaceutical industry to create sterility tests. During the summer of his Sophomore year, Paul received a SURF Award to further pursue research into horseshoe crab conservation through cell culture under Dr. Rachel O’Neill. This past summer, through the University Scholar program, Paul has begun working on his thesis project to analyze the genome structure of L. polyphemus under the guidance of Dr. Rachel O’Neill alongside Mrs. Denise Anamani, Dr. Jonathan Klassen, and Dr. Stacey Hanlon.
After UConn, Paul hopes to pursue a career in genomic medicine and genetic counseling. Research has been one of the most rewarding and meaningful parts of Paul’s undergraduate experience and he’s always hoping to introduce more people to the cool projects happening around UConn. If you have any questions about getting involved in research, research-based career paths, or the pre-medical track, he would love to hear from you!
Student Research Blog Posts by Paul: