Our September MCDB Alumni Spotlight is highlighting Dr. Jessica Nunes! Dr. Nunes is a Postdoctoral Fellow at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. She graduated from MCDB in 2023.

We asked Dr. Nunes some questions about her experience as an MCDB student, as well as her career since graduating from the program.

• What initially attracted you to the MCDB graduate program at The Ohio State University, and what are some of your strongest memories from your time in the program?

  • What initially attracted me to the MCDB graduate program was the opportunity to train at one of the best cancer institutes in the country. I was especially interested in being in an environment where I could develop as a scientist while working on meaningful cancer research.

    One of my strongest memories from my time in the program was being a Pelotonia Fellow. Being part of the Pelotonia research program was a very meaningful experience, both scientifically and personally. I also had the opportunity to participate in the Pelotonia bike charity, which allowed me to connect with the broader cancer community and see the impact that research can have beyond the laboratory.

• Can you tell us about your career path after graduating from MCDB and how your experiences in the program helped prepare you for where you are today?

  • After graduating from MCDB, I continued my career in cancer research and am currently a postdoctoral researcher in Hematology at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, where I study mechanisms that influence hematopoietic stem and leukemia cell behavior.

    My experience in MCDB taught me to be resilient and confident as a scientist. Graduate school taught me that research does not always progress in a straight line, and that setbacks are an important part of the process. Those experiences prepared me well for my current career, where persistence and the ability to work through challenging scientific questions are essential.

• Looking back, what skills, experiences, or opportunities during graduate school have been most valuable in your professional career?

  • One of the most valuable skills I developed during graduate school was grant writing. The grant writing course I took at Ohio State helped me learn how to communicate scientific ideas clearly, develop a strong research rationale, and think critically about how to present a research question.

    The conferences I attended were also extremely valuable. They gave me opportunities to present my work, learn about new research, and network with other scientists. The institute conferences, as well as the MCDB conference, were particularly helpful in developing my scientific communication and professional network.

• What challenges did you encounter during graduate school or early in your career, and what advice would you give current MCDB students facing similar challenges?

  • One of my biggest challenges during graduate school was that, for almost a year, I struggled to obtain good data that could answer my research question. It was frustrating to spend so much time on experiments without getting the results I was hoping for.

    Looking back, I would tell my past self to stay strong and not become disheartened. Research can be unpredictable, and sometimes the experiments that do not work teach you just as much as the ones that do. Data is data, and every result gives you information that can help move the research forward.

• Were there any mentors, faculty members, classmates, or experiences within MCDB that had a particularly significant impact on your development as a scientist or professional?

  • Dr. Natarajan Muthusamy was the best mentor I have had, and he had a tremendous impact on my development as a scientist.

    I remember having an experiment that was not working for several months. When it finally worked, he told me, “Persistence is the mark of a good scientist.” That statement has stayed with me throughout my career. It reminded me that scientific progress often requires patience and persistence, especially when things do not go as planned.

• What advice would you give current MCDB graduate students who are thinking about their future careers, whether in academia, industry, government, science communication, or other fields?

  • My advice would be to stick with your passion. There will inevitably be difficult periods, uncertainty, and setbacks, but having a genuine passion for what you do can help you get through those challenges.

    Your career does not necessarily have to follow a perfectly defined path. Take advantage of opportunities to learn, build relationships, present your work, and explore different areas of science. Most importantly, find something that you genuinely care about. It makes life worth living.

• If you could go back and give your graduate-student self one piece of advice—or share one thing you wish you had known when you started at MCDB—what would it be?

  • I would tell myself not to get discouraged when things do not work out as expected. Scientific research involves a lot of uncertainty, and there will be experiments that fail and questions that take much longer to answer than you anticipate.

    I would remind myself to stay persistent, trust the process, and remember that setbacks do not define you as a scientist. Sometimes, you simply have to keep going until the experiment finally works.