By Mahamudun Bhuiyan and Farzana Begum
Farzana Begum, is a Ph.D. Graduate Student here at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Farzana graduated from Manhattan College in 2020 with a B.S in Chemical Engineering and a minor in Mathematics. Following graduation, she began working at Eurofins Lancaster Laboratories as a chemist where she worked on developing lipid nanoparticle formulations for various mRNA vaccines and therapeutics. In 2021, Farzana joined the Viral Vaccines department of Pfizer as an associate scientist to work on propagating, characterizing, and quantifying various viruses for vaccine development. After her time as an associate scientist, Farzana entered the Ph.D. program at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in 2022. Farzana has now joined the Maryanovich lab and is working on investigating the mechanisms behind the effect of ROS on the immune response to acute myeloid leukemia.
Where are you from?
I grew up in Bronx, New York, but my parents are originally from Bangladesh.
What drove you to pursue a career/education in the sciences?
My curiosity to know the why behind various issues related to health, especially diseases/conditions that impacted my loved ones.
Is there a particular scientific question/problem you are interested in?
How does ROS affect immune cells in the bone marrow micro environment and leukemic niche?
Who are some of your scientific (and/or non-scientific) “heroes”?
Marie Curie, the first woman to win a Nobel prize.
My parents who showed me through their sacrifices and hard work, that success comes from having ambition and resilience.
What scientific finding/paper/book (in any field) impacted you most?
The book “An Elegant Defense” was a big inspiration for me to pursue a PhD in the biomedical sciences. The work is an exceptionally well-crafted exploration of the human immune system– the key to health and wellness, especially for someone new to the field.
What are some of your non-science hobbies?
Painting, reading, biking, and traveling
Anything else of interest you’d like to add?
My favorite quote by Albert Einstein is “The most beautiful thing that we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science.