Deans’ Summer Research Fellowship (DSRF) Story: Srijan Oduru
Author: Srijan Oduru
What was your major research question for the DSRF project and where do you hope this project will go?
How does TCA cycle regulation of nucleotide biosynthesis impact breast cancer metabolism?
I spent most of the summer refining my gene knockdown protocol, focusing on confirming its efficacy through Western blots and viability assays. After presenting at my lab's September Lab Meeting, I've identified several confirmatory experiments to pursue as well as gaps in relation to my lab's previous work in succinate dehydrogenase, which I plan to address this semester.
What challenges did you encounter during your research and how did you work through these difficulties?
Dealing with random variability & experiments not working how you envision them is always tough, especially when each takes 1-2 weeks. I've learned to deal with them by treating them as learning opportunities instead of failures and building on my mistakes constructively!
What sparked your interest in this field?
Throughout my childhood, I participated in mathematics and biology competitions which sparked my interest in the life sciences. As a pre-med student at Duke, I've studied cancer biology both in the classroom and through my previous work at the Hirschey Lab, which solidified my interest in basic science cancer research.
Curious about DSRF?
This project was made possible through the Deans’ Summer Research Fellowship (DSRF)—a unique opportunity for rising juniors and seniors in the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences to pursue funded summer research full-time!
Effective this 2025-2026 Academic year, we are rebranding DSRF to be the Trinity Summer Undergraduate Mentored Research Fellowship (T-SUMR)! If you're pursuing graduation with distinction and are passionate about research, consider applying to T-SUMR in December of your Sophomore or Junior year.
