Mahak Kathpalia

Hometown: Gurgaon, India

Major(s): Chemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology; Certificate – Science Communication

Current Research Group: Wang

What are your plans after graduation?

Owing to my undergraduate research experience, I currently plan on applying to graduate programs in biochemistry next year.

Why did you get involved in research?

Chemistry, as a discipline, always stood out to me because of how applicable it was across a diverse spectrum of scientific spheres. Rooting from my fascination of finding out where and what all my elementary knowledge could be used to discover, I decided to look for potential research opportunities on campus. Having recently taken a fun biology class, Dr. Wang’s chemical biology research really interested me, and I went ahead with it.

Briefly describe your favorite part about research

Research is a culmination of various activities that I enjoy like hands-on work in the lab, deconvoluting data, writing, and making presentations. However, my favorite part of the experience is limitlessly learning and teaching your team new things as you explore different dimensions of solving your inquiry. As opposed to taking classes, research does not always involve correct and conclusive answers. Navigating your way through different fields of study to figure out the best possible explanation is what makes the process rewarding.