Graduate student Gayathri Shibu gives insight into collaborating with other women scientists at MSK.
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My name is Gayathri Shibu. I work in immunology here at the Brown Lab at MSK.
In the lab I work on this fascinating molecule called AIRE, which stands for autoimmune regulator. It's sort of a bizarre molecule because it leads to the expression of a lot of self-proteins that have no business being in the thymus. It defies what we know about gene regulation in general, and it has been an unanswered question in the field for about 20 years.
It's incredible to be working at MSK where there are so many brilliant scientists, who happen to be women, and who are at the cutting edge of research.
My PI's name is Chrysothemis Brown and she's definitely one of the most brilliant scientists. She’s pretty unfazed by any challenge and is never afraid to try on any new idea or direction.
She's teaching us to be driven by the data and she's training us to be the most rigorous scientists that we can be.
The Kravis WiSE fellowship is going to help me focus on my research. Receiving funding also allows you to answer the more challenging questions that exist in science. I'm extremely humbled and grateful to have been recognized for my work here.
I feel very strongly about making academia a more equitable and inclusive space in general. Recognizing women's achievements in a visible way is very important to drive a new generation of scientists that are from backgrounds that are not normally represented.
