Unlocking Potential in Biomedical Research

For Erin O’Neil, an undergraduate Biology major at UMass Boston, the 2024 Pathway to PhD (P2P) program at Tufts Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS) was a turning point in her scientific career. The three-week research-intensive program gave her the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in a lab, work closely with graduate student mentors, and develop a stronger sense of her future in biomedical research.

“I honestly believe that this experience was the best thing I have done for myself so far in my scientific journey,” Erin reflected. Before joining the program, she had limited lab experience, having just started in Richard Hunter’s Epigenetics and Genomics lab at UMass Boston. However, the P2P program quickly provided her with advanced skills and techniques that became essential to her work. “Some techniques that I used for the first time at Tufts, I now do several times a week in my research lab,” she explained. The program not only enhanced her technical expertise but also gave her the confidence to take on more responsibility in her own lab, where she now helps oversee other undergraduate experiments.

Erin also found the program’s structure and mentorship particularly valuable. Working closely with graduate students, she gained insight into designing experiments and presenting her research. “At the end of each week, we worked together to create presentations for the projects we worked on and presented them to a panel of Tufts faculty,” she said. The experience of preparing and defending her work before experienced researchers helped Erin build her presentation skills and anticipate challenging questions—skills she quickly applied back in her home lab. “When I returned from the program, I showed my PI these presentations and listed the skills that I learned. Because of this, I was asked to take on a larger responsibility in the lab.”

Beyond technical skills, the P2P program played a key role in Erin’s personal and professional growth. She highlighted the importance of the confidence she gained during the program, particularly as an undergraduate researcher. “As undergraduate researchers, we are not expected to know as much. If you do know what you are talking about, you have to be able to advocate for yourself so that you are understood,” she noted. This self-assurance, combined with her new lab skills, allowed her to make significant contributions to her research group. Since completing the program, Erin has been running experiments for her thesis project, submitting data for publication, and assisting a graduate student with experiments for his dissertation.

“I truly feel like a different and stronger person since January, and I attribute this to everything I learned at Tufts, personally and academically,” Erin said. For her, the Pathway to PhD program was much more than a research opportunity—it was a formative experience that shaped her scientific mindset, gave her a clearer sense of her career path, and prepared her for future challenges in the world of biomedical research.

This story was written by Kristin LIndquist.