CPB and Statistics concentrator Kavya Shah (‘23) has been selected as a 2023 Marshall Scholar. The prestigious scholarship enables graduates of US universities to study at any university in the UK. Shah will first spend a year at University of Cambridge, reading for an M.Phil. in Computational Biology, and then head to King’s College London to pursue an M.Sc. in Stem Cell and Regenerative Therapies.
“I am still in disbelief that I was awarded the Marshall Scholarship, and I feel immense gratitude for my network of advisors, mentors, and friends who have provided invaluable support throughout my academic career,” Shah says. “I hope to learn and grow both personally and academically in the UK, and am very excited to meet the other Marshall Scholars!”
He adds, “As a child of Indian immigrants, I was initially intimidated to apply to the Marshall, and I didn’t know much about the scholarship. Having gone through the application process, I would highly encourage others, especially those with immigrant backgrounds, to apply! Every applicant has a unique story to offer, and I am a strong believer in increasing the representation of minorities and immigrants among fellowships like the Marshall.”
Shah’s academic acumen and positive energy have made an impression on CPB Concentration Adviser Dominic Mao, who has worked with Shah for years. “I am very happy for Kavya!” Mao says. “He is a joint concentrator between Chemical and Physical Biology (primary) and Statistics (allied), which makes for a non-trivial undertaking given the number of requirements alone. On top of that Kavya took the more rigorous course options to fulfill most of his requirements. How he finds the time to still come to concentration events and stay engaged with the concentration community is beyond me!”
Shah is looking forward to exploring the UK, visiting historic sites, meeting his fellow researchers, and learning more about his chosen field of regenerative biology. “As an aspiring physician-scientist, I want to leverage bioinformatic tools to develop regenerative treatments for aging disorders,” Shah explains. “I chose my program of study to learn specific computational and biological techniques that I can apply in my future research as well as a career in clinical medicine.”
Shah expressed gratitude to many in the CPB and broader MCB community. “Professors Andrew Murray and Sean Eddy, who taught LS50: Integrated Science and MCB 112: Biological Data Analysis, respectively, have been extremely supportive academic advisors who have also significantly shaped my academic interests,” Shah says. “I am also grateful to Dominic Mao and Irina Cashen for fostering such a tight-knit MCB-CPB community among the undergraduates! Finally, many of my closest friends are from the MCB-CPB undergraduate community, and they have been very supportive from an academic and personal standpoint. I am so grateful for all of my mentors, supporters, and friends, and I am happy to share this success with them!”
