​I joined ASDRP 3+ years back. As a freshman researcher in Mr. Cunha’s lab meant a lot of new experiences. Not only was the whole concept of research and all the associated protocols and tools new to me, but also I was working remotely. This meant learning the discipline to manage my schedule and being available at times frequently not convenient to me. All I had was my curiosity and determination.

Over three years, the lab transformed me. I learned to code in R, mastered bioinformatics tools like NCBI Blast, and analyzed complex genomic datasets. My focus was on studying gut microbiota in colorectal cancer, where I built phylogenetic trees, ran comparative analyses, and created visual models to uncover patterns in genomic relationships. With my focus on computational methods and models, being remote actually allowed me to have a huge impact on the overall project, including helping new team members become comfortable with the tools and research focus.

At 15, I had the opportunity to present our findings at the Southern California Conference for Undergraduate Research (SCUUR) and a year later, I spoke at the American Chemical Society’s national conference. Both opportunities stretched my communication skills by forcing me to explain intricate computational concepts in ways both experts and non-scientists could understand. Subsequently our Research Team also presented at the National conference of undergraduate research (NCUR) in 2024, 2025 and at ISMB/ECCB in 2023.

Ultimately what begins as research, needs to find its way to market in order to have an impact on people. Mr. Cunha’s lab gave me the foundation and confidence to be a researcher and allowed me to think of next steps on bringing the impact of the research to a broad audience as an entrepreneur.