When he decided to move 1700 miles from home to attend the UW, Samir Faruq had no idea he’d be part of Nobel Prize–winning research. Sometimes he still can’t quite believe it.
That pinch-me moment is one of many that Faruq, ’26, a soft-spoken biochemistry and chemistry major from St. Louis, has experienced as an undergraduate researcher at the UW’s Institute for Protein Design (IPD), led by Professor David Baker, a winner of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Hands-on learning like this is why Faruq came to the UW — and doing cutting-edge work alongside graduate students, staff scientists and faculty has been worth the leap.
“It’s been an honor to contribute to such amazing work at the Baker Lab,” says Faruq, one of 45 undergraduates currently working at the IPD. “It’s an experience I couldn’t have anywhere else.” This cross-disciplinary research center is harnessing artificial intelligence to design new proteins — the building blocks of biology — to shape the future of medicine and beyond. It’s work that will improve people’s lives.
Thousands of Husky undergrads like Faruq do hands-on research at the UW.
Aiming for a medical career, Faruq was drawn to the UW’s many undergraduate research opportunities. That benefit even helped convince his parents, who “were a little terrified with how far the UW was from home,” he remembers.
Most Husky undergrads like Faruq participate in research — in STEM and non-STEM fields alike — because it’s a chance to explore interests, uncover new knowledge and gain real-world skills in critical thinking, collaboration, data analysis and more.
Faruq’s research journey started with the IPD’s Jupiter Program, a yearlong cohort-based research program for undergraduates where, he recalls, “we were all struggling together and learning at the same time.” Over the academic year in this prestigious lab, he fell in love with the science and knew he wanted to stick around.
Today, in between classes, Faruq can be found in the IPD’s fourth-floor space in the Nanoengineering & Sciences Building. Sometimes he’s on his laptop in the lounge, using the AI-powered tools the IPD developed to speed up the process of designing new proteins. Or he might put on a white coat and safety goggles in the lab, learning from his graduate student mentor how to produce and test those computer-generated designs. Often, he sees concepts he’s learned about in class come to life here.
"It’s been an honor to contribute to such amazing work at the Baker Lab. It’s an experience I couldn’t have anywhere else."
Faruq and his colleagues use the IPD's suite of homegrown AI tools to model and design proteins.
And there’s a thrill knowing that all his work has real-world applications. Currently, he’s studying specific strains of bacteria associated with urinary tract infections from catheters. “Over time there’s been more resistance to antibiotics,” he says, “and we need to find different ways to combat this.”
Faruq is learning other career skills too, like how to talk to a lay audience about his work — and he’s presented at the UW Undergraduate Research Symposium. He’s also minoring in human rights, a program he discovered at the UW, hoping it’ll help him “understand patients as a whole beyond just their health care needs.” All these skills and experiences are paving the way toward a future career as a doctor.
Hear from Samir Faruq about his undergraduate research experience at the UW.
Beyond his pivotal experience at the IPD, Faruq has found community in other UW spaces, including the Origami Club and the Bengali Students Association, where he’s connected with students who share his cultural background and interests. Whether he’s hanging out at the Samuel E. Kelly Ethnic Cultural Center or designing proteins at the IPD, Faruq has found a home at the UW — and a Husky Experience tailor-made for his curiosity, strengths and career goals.
Story by Malavika Jagannathan // Photos by Mark Stone
Originally published October 2025
