Himagowri Prasad

Major / Minor: Biomedical Engineering, concentration in Nanotechnology, Minor in Chemistry

Area of Research: Biomedical Engineering (biomaterials)

Name of Mentor: Dr. Timothy O’Shea

How did you get involved in research?

I’ve been involved in research since high school, working in biomedical nanomaterials laboratories every summer, and even being able to contribute to their research publications.

How did you meet your mentor?

During my freshman spring, I cold emailed a graduate student whose research I was interested in based on a paper I had read from the lab. From there, they connected me with another graduate student whose work aligned more with my overall interests. I interviewed for my lab with my current graduate student and mentor during finals week, and began working in the lab during my sophomore fall.

What has your UROP experience taught you?

It has taught me valuable wet-lab skills, and what it takes to be immersed in a career involving academia. As someone with the dream of pursuing a PhD after graduation, it has provided me an insight on my future in biomedical research.

How has this experience helped you with non-research related things at BU?

UROP has helped me gain research presentation opportunities outside of BU. In January of 2024, I was a poster presenter and plenary speaker at the Harvard College National Undergraduate Research Conference and I was just recently accepted to the Brown University National Undergraduate Research Conference as a poster presenter. My experience has also solidified my interest in biomaterials research, so I founded the BU Chapter of Society For Biomaterials this past school year.

What does a day in your research life look like?

Depending on my class schedule, I might go work in my lab in the mornings or afternoons (sometimes both). I do both wet-lab research and dry-lab, so if I am doing wet-lab that week, I try to work in around 6 hours a week to make sure I can complete my tasks. If it is a dry-lab week, I usually complete my work outside of the lab, and touch base with my graduate student. Once a week, I have check-in meetings with my graduate student and mentor to go over the progress I am making on my project.

What advice would you give to someone interested in UROP?

Don’t be afraid to reach out to graduate students who work in the lab you are interested in joining! Do thorough research into different mentors, and really figure out what research field/ projects you would like to be part of.