![caroline](/-/media/project/gems/daa_gems_dubai_american_academy/top-right-images/caroline-intro.jpg?h=700&w=620&hash=DD06E823EE75B4601A15EA1B0D8895BE)
Pursuing a PhD at Harvard University
I am originally from Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, but then moved to Dubai at the age of 8 and lived there for 10 years. I attended DAA from 3rd grade - 12th grade which was 2006-2016. I completed my undergraduate at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) where I majored in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and minored in Bioinformatics. In the fall of 2020, I started my PhD in Systems, Synthetic, and Quantitative Biology at Harvard University.
DAA has greatly shaped the person that I am today. Throughout my 10 years at the school, I was exposed to such a diverse, accepting and supportive community that helped me grow as a person and as a scientist. Teachers such as Sharon Munn, Derarca Lynch, Silvia Codita, Padraig Downey and Tim Tshumperlin made me feel comfortable asking endless questions in class and being creative when exploring academic subjects.
![](https://cms.gemseducation.com//-/media/project/gems/daa_gems_dubai_american_academy/caroline-2.jpg?h=400&w=343&hash=5AFAE06E4C2C133B1EE466C512C9FB82)
What’s next?
A PhD in my field is expected to be six years long, so I will be conducting research at Harvard until then. After that, I plan to work in Biotechnology developing tools for DNA sequencing or other genomic studies.
Accolades/accomplishments
- Published in 1 research paper, 2 others submitted.
- ABRCMS Award for Poster Presentation in Systems Biology
- UCLA Dean’s Prize for Excellence in Science at the Research Showcase
- UCLA MCDB Senior Undergraduate Research Award,
- UCLA College Honors and Highest Departmental Honors Awarded With Bachelor Degree
- In DAA: Most Outstanding Student in IB Biology SL, IB Psychology SL, IB Spanish SL