Reena Debray, B.S. 2018

Ph.D. Candidate, University of California, Berkeley – Berkeley, CA

2018 Major: Biology (concentration in Genomics)

How has being a Biology graduate from Duke helped shape you personally and/or professionally?

"I feel so fortunate for the research opportunities that were available at Duke – from the Howard Hughes Research Fellowship for first-year students to the opportunities to write independent proposals for funding during subsequent summers. I also went to as many departmental seminars as I could. I first learned about coevolution in a Biology seminar and I have been hooked ever since. I will graduate with my Ph.D. this spring and start a postdoctoral research position in Germany, continuing to pursue research interests that were ignited in my undergraduate career."

What advice would you give students in Duke's Biology programs? 

"Be open-minded. I thought I was only interested in ecology and evolution, but I took a fascinating developmental biology seminar that changed my mind! No matter what career you are interested in, it is good practice to learn about other fields and be open to the possibility that they are connected to yours in ways you didn't initially realize."

 

Reena Debray