Ayana Paul

My current goals are set on graduating with a degree in biology (Concentration in Cellular and Molecular Biology) and continuing my education towards being a Biomedical Research Scientist, medical physician or professor. Much of my time at Duke has been spent doing resarch under John R Perfect's lab. There, I have studied the fungal species Cryptococcus neoformans, a microbe responsible for meningitis. My research in the Perfect Lab has fed my curiosity of infectious disease, microbial pathogensis and genetically based virulence. I hope to expand and continue my studies of other microbes such as viruses and bacterium and topics involving zoonosis and disease ecology in a changing climate. In a society growing increasingly virtual, I have developed an interest in data science and prgramming as applied to biological and molecular research. In a normal year, I would dedicate my time towards climate justice and advocating for a reduction in Duke's role in the climate crisis in Duke's Climate Coalition. I also enjoy encouraging people to particiapte in civic engagement through voter registration and voting. In adddtion, I would spend a great deal of time tutoring native spanish spekaers in english under thet organization Gente Aprendiendo Para Nuevas Oportunidades. But unfortunately, this year has been far from normal and I have spent much of time supporting and staying home with my family.