Title: From Scholar to Scientist: Hannah Selvarathinam’s Journey into Neurogenetics Research
Hannah Selvarathinam, a highly impressive scholar, has made remarkable strides in the field of neurogenetics. Mentored by Dr. Ghose, Hannah has been a standout researcher since her early days at university. Her foresight and proactive approach to seeking research opportunities led her to work on a core project related to the genetics of cell death in Caenorhabditis elegans.
Hannah’s work on this project culminated in her honors thesis, which focused on brain health and behavior. The result is a groundbreaking, peer-reviewed publication detailing the genes affecting worm behavior, which are also relevant to neurological disease in humans.
By combining her knowledge of cell biology with her undergraduate psychology major and interests in human health, Hannah was able to make crucial connections between the genes she was studying and neurodegenerative diseases in humans. She drove the project, regularly communicating with Dr. Ghose for guidance and sharing her exciting results.
One of Hannah’s most notable achievements is adapting and optimizing a published behavioral protocol for her project, which is exceptional for a young trainee. Leveraging the fact that worms have similarities in their genes to humans and predictable behaviors that are easy to study, Hannah proceeded to optimize an experimental protocol that aimed to link schizophrenia to neurodegenerative disease using worm behavior.
The study found that worms with mutations in neurodegeneration genes, such as those related to hereditary spastic paraplegia and Alzheimer’s disease, displayed a heightened startle response, providing another building block in understanding brain disease.
After completing her honors thesis and graduating in winter 2022, Hannah began working as a technician in Dr. Ghose’s lab while preparing applications for medical school. She is now on track with another peer-reviewed publication for work she has done assisting on one of the lab’s cell death projects.
Hannah’s research experience has complemented her goal to practice medicine, teaching her many transferable skills such as reading scientific literature and applying her knowledge to solve problems and answer interesting questions. She encourages students to reach out to professors and seek out research opportunities.
Hannah’s journey from scholar to scientist is a testament to her dedication, intelligence, and proactive approach to learning. Her groundbreaking research has contributed significantly to the field of neurogenetics and will continue to do so as she pursues her medical career.