Our May MCDB Alumni Spotlight is highlighting Dr. Daniel Arango! Dr. Arango is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacology at Northwestern University. He graduated from MCDB in 2015.
We asked Dr. Arango some questions about his experience as an MCDB student, as well as his career since graduating from the program.
- Can you briefly describe your current role and the path that led you there after graduating from the MCDB program?
- I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacology at Northwestern University. After graduating from the MCDB program, I pursued postdoctoral training in RNA biology at the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health before moving to Chicago to start my research group at Northwestern.
- Looking back, what part of the program best prepared you for your current role?
- Everything about a PhD program best prepares you to lead a scientific team, though I didn't really realize it as a graduate student. The most important aspects are resilience and critical thinking, but the program also provided opportunities to teach and mentor younger trainees, as well as to develop my writing and oral communication skills. What is perhaps most distinctive about MCDB is its multidisciplinary nature, which instills the ability to see and understand the "big picture" from an early stage. All of the above are essential aspects of my current role.
- What is one memorable or favorite moment from your time at OSU or in the MCDB program?
- One memorable, but not my favorite moment, was the candidacy exam. That was tough. My favorite moment was when my committee told me, "Congratulations, Dr." after my thesis defense. Outside the lab, those Saturday football games were both fun and memorable. Once a Buckeye, always a Buckeye!
- If you could go back to your first year in MCDB, what would you tell yourself?
- It will be fine!When you start a PhD, the end seems unachievable, and at moments you think you won't be able to do it. But as it turns out, everything works out in the end.
- Are there any specific accomplishments since graduating that you’d like to highlight?
- I started my PhD studies with the goal of becoming a principal investigator and professor in a research university. I achieved this goal six years after graduating from the MCDB program.
- Outside of work, what’s something fun or interesting you’ve done recently?
- Vacations in Morocco.
- Is there anywhere online where students can learn more about your work or connect with you?
- You can visit out lab website https://sites.northwestern.edu/arangolab/, and my social media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-arango/ @danyarango.bsky.social