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Department of Biological Sciences

Career Outcomes

Recent Graduates

Our majors go on to a variety of careers, including Ph.D. study, medicine, pharmacy, and industry. Recent examples include:

  • Tristen Gittens (2023): Research Fellow at the NIH
  • Margaret Clement (2023): Medical student at McGovern Medical School in Houston
  • Miya Hugaboom (2022): Postgraduate Associate at Yale School of Medicine
  • Sung-Jin Lee (2022): Medical student at University of Michigan Medical School
  • SungHan Kang (2022): Dental student at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine
  • Abinaya Ramakrishnan (2022): Medical student at UCLA Medical School
  • Tara O’Shea (2022): Postbac at NIH
  • Alex Triko (2022): Medical student at University of Illinois Chicago School of Medicine
  • Liraz Stilman (2022): Nova Southeastern University College of Optometry
  • Melissa Goldin (2022): Medical student at Vanderbilt Medical School
  • Nyssa Kantorek (2021): Medical student at UT Southwestern Medical School
  • Maria Sellers (2021): Ph.D. student at University of Florida
  • Sarah Saxton Strassberg (2021): Ph.D. student at University of Chicago
  • Marcell Paguaga (2021): Medical student at Vanderbilt Medical School
  • Olivia Zheng (2021): MSc graduate student at Stanford University
  • Robert Clark (2021): M.D./Ph.D student at University of Illinois-Chicago 
  • Maureen Ubani (2021): Medical student at Wake Forest University School of Medicine
  • Isaac Bakis (2021): Medical student at Vanderbilt Medical Center
  • Megan Phillips (2020): Ph.D. graduate student at Emory University
  • Sara Conwell (2020): Graduate student at Vanderbilt
  • Abby Chopoorian (2020): Medical student at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
  • Joseph Carter Powers (2020): Medical student at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine
  • Raymar Turangan (2020): Medical student at University of Texas Health Science Center
  • Amanda Sun (2020): Ph.D. program at Princeton
  • Zhan Rong (2020): Medical student at University of California San Diego
  • Alexandra Surowiec (2020): Ph.D. student at University of California Davis
  • Ivy Chen (2019): Medical student at Boston University Medical School
  • Kyu Young Park (2019): Dentist in Vancouver, Canada
  • Mackenzie Barker (2019): Pediatric resident at Vanderbilt Medical Center
  • Jinxuan Hao (2018): Rayos Contra Cancer
  • Mihira Konda (2018): Veterinarian school at Cornell
  • Zack Ely (2018): Ph.D. graduate student at MIT 
  • Yannan Huang (2018): Anesthesia residency at Case Western University Hospitals in Cleveland 
  • Ty Bortoff (2017): Ph.D. graduate student at University of Washington Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center 
  • Jarrod Shilts (2017): Ph.D. graduate student at Sanger Institute 
  • Nicholas Diab (2017): M.D./Ph.D. student at Yale University 
  • Josh Eggold (2015): Ph.D. graduate student at Stanford University
  • Grace Coggins (2014): Graduate student in pharmacology at University of Pennsylvania
  • Emily Bain (2014): Ph.D. graduate student at University of Washington
  • Mary Claire Cato (2014): Ph.D. graduate student at University of Michigan
  • Saul Siller (2011): M.D./Ph.D. resident in anesthesiology at Yale University
  • Daniella Buscarriollo (2011): Radiation oncologist, Boston, MA

Undergraduate Alumni Stories

Ananya Sharma ’19

Molecular & Cellular Biology, Honors in Women’s and Gender Studies

Third year medical student at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine

“Studying in the Department of Biological Sciences provided me with an opportunity to engage in scientific inquiry and exploration during the formative stages of my career. I had the privilege to work in the Bordenstein lab during three years of my undergraduate training, where I learned to grow as a student, researcher, and scientist. My research experience drove me to medicine, a field constantly evolving and growing as a result of exponential scientific discoveries. Through research I kindled a sense of scientific curiosity that continues to influence my future career goals. I am thankful to the faculty and staff in the Department of BioScience, who provided the quality education and support necessary for me to get to where I am today.”

 

Isaac Bakis ’21

Neuroscience; Research Assistant, Weill Cornell Medicine

“Vanderbilt’s Department of Biological Sciences taught me how to effectively obtain and apply new knowledge. I felt that classes such as Introduction to Biology, Biochemistry, and Biological Statistics encouraged me to develop a conceptual understanding of the material rather than just memorizing the facts, formulas, and equations behind it. BioScience’s focus on conceptual knowledge boosted my critical thinking skills and helped me immensely in my neuroscience classes and research in Dr. Laurence Zwiebel’s laboratory. Now, as a research assistant in a regenerative cardiology laboratory, I find it a lot easier to acquire, understand, and utilize new scientific knowledge.”

 

Zackery Ely ’18

Molecular & Cellular Biology; Outstanding Research in Biological Sciences award 

Student in Ph.D. program, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

“My experience at Vanderbilt was fantastic and transformative. I will always remember fully realizing my love for science when I started in the College of Arts and Sciences and took my first course in biology. That course, like many that followed it, was extremely well-taught by fascinating and thoughtful professors, who often take a real interest in their students’ questions, ideas, and careers. Beyond the great curriculum, I learned immensely from my undergrad research experience in Dr. Rokas’ Lab. In the lab, I learned a wide range of computational research skills that I still use in my PhD research years later. In both the lab and the department, I was surrounded by wonderful mentors who guided me as I developed research skills, applied to scholarships and new opportunities, and ultimately laid the foundation for an exciting research career.”