University of Washington alumnus Marvin Nayan (‘13) received a Levinson Emerging Scholarship in the 2011-12 school year. He’s currently pursuing a Ph.D. in biology at MIT. We spoke with him to hear his reflections on how undergraduate research impacted his trajectory.
Did you always want to study biology?
When I first came to the UW, I thought I would be a business major. I even attended a pre-college business program. However, someone suggested I take Biology 106, so I took the class on a whim. Brian Buchwitz was an excellent teacher. Not only did he teach the class material well, he taught us how to think. His class sparked my interest in biology and piqued my interest in research.
“I grew up on a farm in the rural Philippines. As a little boy, I thought I’d be a farmer. It’s amazing to me that I’m now at MIT doing crazy experiments with the latest technology. My undergraduate education really helped me get where I am today.”
How did working with a mentor impact your undergraduate research experience?
“The UW is a big place, so the opportunity to work in a small lab was like a sanctuary for me. Having one-on-one mentorship allowed me to delve into real research. I worked with Dr. Jay Parrish. At the time, he was new to the UW and I was completing Biology 106, which is a pre-biology major class. I was very new to science. Dr. Parrish took a chance on me. He brought me into his lab and treated me like a grad student. In retrospect, he really gave me excellent training and prepared me for the rigors of graduate school. Fast forward to 2016: Dr. Parrish just got tenure, and I’m now a Ph.D. student.”
Tell us about your undergraduate research project.
The scientific community is still far from fully understanding how the brain functions. My work focused on researching how neurons develop. I worked with fruit flies to perform genetic screens to watch for mutant development in the dendrites. I was looking for mutants to help understand how diseases like schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s function at the neurological level. Once we have a better understanding of how the brain works, both when it is healthy and diseased, clinicians and pharmacology companies will be able to develop more effective treatments.
What is the implication of your research?
There is an urgent need for drugs to treat mental illnesses and dementia. The medicines we use to treat schizophrenia were developed in the 1960s. That’s over 50 years ago. Compare that with cancer treatments. Cancer diagnoses that would have been a death sentence 10 years ago are now fairly treatable. A large part of the stagnation in mental illness treatments comes from lapses in our understanding of how the brain functions.
How did being a Levinson Emerging Scholar impact your career?
Participating in undergraduate research really enriched my time at the UW. The opportunity to do hands-on research not only supplemented my courses, it complemented them. I know plenty of people who are book smart. They do well memorizing facts. That’s not me. I love trying to address an open-ended question, one that hasn’t been answered yet.
How has being a Levinson Scholar laid the framework for your career?
In the sciences, if you want to have your own lab, you need to find funding. And, a big part of that funding comes from grants. The Levinson Emerging Scholar application is a close approximation of this experience. I had to think through my research plans, come up with a materials list and figure out the total funding necessary to run my experiment. Thinking through my project so critically enabled me to take ownership of my research.
What is your Ph.D. research?
Learn more about Marvin’s experiences and accomplishments by reading his CV.
I’m still researching the brain. I’m part of a multi-disciplinary team at MIT that includes engineers, computer scientists and physicists. I’m the only biologist. We are each taking a different approach to answering the same question. I am still researching how mutations affect the brain. This time, I’m working with mice and am using optic fiber implants to activate and deactivate regions of the brain.
What are your long-term career goals?
I’m planning to do a post-doc and then apply for a tenure-track position. It’s a competitive job market out there. I feel like my experiences with undergraduate research and as a Levinson Emerging Scholar have given me a strong skill set and taught me to lead a lab, but we’ll see. I also have a few ideas for start-ups.
“I’d like to offer my sincere and profound thanks to Art and Rita Levinson. The opportunity they created at the University of Washington has really helped me to define my career and find my passion.”