ANANYA HOTA

Since July 2025, I have been a postbaccalaureate researcher in the Kornfeld Postbaccalaureate Program at Washington University in St. Louis. 

My project focuses on defining the genetic context of somatic mutations that predispose patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) to progress to acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

By integrating wet-lab techniques with potential computational approaches, my research aims to uncover how these mutations interact within broader genetic networks and drive disease evolution.

In the summer of 2024, I participated in the MIT Summer Research Program in the Department of Biology, working in Dr. Alan Grossman’s lab with mentorship from Dr. Arielle Weinstein. My project focused on characterizing a novel bacterial defense system in Bacillus thuringiensis, which we transformed into Bacillus subtilis, to investigate how this system inhibits phage DNA replication and protects against Nf phage infection. This work contributed to a broader understanding of bacterial immunity and its potential biotechnological applications.

As the culmination of my project, I presented a poster at the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Scientists (ABRCMS) in 2024, where I was honored to receive an Outstanding Presentation Award for my research.

From February to December 2024, I participated in the Yale VIBES (Virtual Internship for Biomedical Education in Science) program, working in Dr. Anton Bennett’s lab in the Department of Pharmacology. My project focused on the role of MAP kinase phosphatases in metabolic disease, with an emphasis on understanding how dysregulation of these phosphatases contributes to pathophysiology. Through this work, I developed a comprehensive literature review that synthesized current findings and identified potential enzymatic targets for therapeutic intervention.

I presented a poster on this work at the Yale VIBES Symposium in December 2024.

In the summer of 2022, I participated in an NSF sponsored REU at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 

I worked in Dr. Briana Burton's lab in the Department of Bacteriology. There I investigated how certain recombination protein deficient cells are impaired at recombining divergent DNA sequences in Bacillus subtilis.

In the summer of 2023, I returned to Dr. Burton's lab to continue my project from the previous summer. This time, I used a computational approach to analyze how local patterns of sequence divergence affected outcomes of homologous recombination in wild type and 2 mutant backgrounds. 

As a culmination of my project, I presented a poster at the Molecular Genetics of Bacteria and Phage meeting. I was 1 of 8 recipients of the outstanding presentation award. 

From 2021 to 2025, I conducted undergraduate research in Dr. Karl Thompson’s lab in the Department of Microbiology at Howard University. My project focused on characterizing the staphyloxanthin pigment synthesis pathway in Staphylococcus aureus, a carotenoid pigment that enhances bacterial virulence by protecting against oxidative stress. 

I designed and carried out experiments to measure growth curves, pigment production, complementation of mutant strains, and gene expression differences between mutant and wild-type backgrounds. 

This work formed the basis of my senior honors thesis and provided key insights into bacterial pathogenesis and potential antimicrobial targets. 

As an honors biology student, I was a part of the SEA-PHAGES program in collaboration with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). 

During the fall of 2021, I worked with a partner to isolate and purify bacteriophages that infected Mycobacterium Smegmatis mc 155 using microbiology and molecular biology techniques.

In the spring of 2022, I aim to use bioinformatic software to sequence the genome of our isolated bacteriophage Tictacs, which can also be found on phagesdb.org. 

In addition to my research, I have remained actively engaged in leadership and community service. I served as Editor-in-Chief of the Ukweli Research Journal, Howard’s premier undergraduate research publication, and as Associate Director of Biology for the Pre-College Research Institute, where I helped design and lead STEM classes and promoted research careers for underrepresented minorities. 

I also co-led Girl Scouts Troop #3958, organizing meetings and activities to support members’ growth and interests. 

During my time at Howard, I contributed as a science columnist and reporter for The Hilltop, covering campus and DMV-area events. 

Over the summer of 2020, I reached out to professors from a variety of STEM disciplines. I was fortunate enough to have received two research positions. 

Under Dr. Jie Li's mentorship, I identified and analyzed biosynthetic gene clusters of 10 strains of Streptomyces using Cytoscape and NCBI/anti-smash. 

With Dr. Paula Vasquez's guidance, I used MATLAB to study SEIR epidemiological curves with a number of variations in diffusion and Erlang distributions. 

These collective research opportunities cemented my interest in research and inspired me to pursue more research opportunities.

Alongside my research, I co-host Science Hertz, a science communication podcast available on Spotify, where we explore complex scientific topics and their impact on society. Looking ahead, I am preparing to apply to MD-PhD programs to further my training as a physician-scientist.