Yvonne Guan
My name is Yvonne, and I am a junior majoring in Chemistry. My interest in chemistry was sparked by the coherent narrative presented in Professor Joshua Vaughan’s Honors General Chemistry class. Subsequently, I joined the Vaughan Lab, which focuses on the biological applications of expansion microscopy, a technique that enables visualization of structures at sub-diffraction-limit resolution.
I began my research studying the inheritance-dependent epigenetic heterogeneity in RPE1 cells but have since transitioned to 3-dimensional imaging of glomeruli, the kidney’s filtration unit, with the goal of developing metrics to characterize disease states and improve our understanding of kidney function and pathogenesis. Throughout this journey, I have optimized biochemical assays, imaged intricate cellular architectures, written algorithms to measure geometric properties of biological structures, and integrated advanced external computational tools into our workflow.
I am grateful for the scholarship, which alleviates the financial burden to give me the freedom to focus on both my current projects and future training opportunities. The training described above has not only familiarized me with working in a research setting and studying the biology of cells and organs, but also deepened my appreciation for how new biophysical tools can open uncharted paths in scientific inquiry. Looking ahead, I hope to use this training to pursue a graduate degree in neuroscience and eventually become an independent researcher, elucidating circuit-level neural functions with biochemical precision.
I am also incredibly grateful for the support and mentorship of Josh, who has offered me countless academic opportunities and guided me through moments of emotional difficulty.
I am also deeply thankful to my graduate student mentors, Madeline Wong and Adilijiang Ali, who have dedicated hours to training me, debating research directions, and helping me pursue problems I am passionate about.
Outside of academics, I enjoy daydreaming, reading, and drawing. On less motivated days, you can find me gaming or watching anime.
Goals
My immediate goals are to: 1) assist with validation experiments and analyses in volumetric imaging of whole glomeruli, 2) initiate a new project exploring the relationship between the protein architecture of the glomerular basement membrane and kidney filtration, and 3) if my application is successful, participate in a summer research program in neuroscience. My long-term goal is to attend graduate school in neuroscience and ultimately establish myself as an independent researcher in the field.
Tips
Embrace the research journey, including its failures and pivots, and ensure you articulate the reasoning behind key decisions to highlight your growth and curiosity. Additionally, building a strong relationship with your faculty advisor is important, as their guidance can help you understand the bigger picture.
