Your name, program, mentor name.

Amanda Rae Munoz, Integrated Biomedical Sciences Ph.D. program – Cancer Biology track, Dr. A. Pratap Kumar

When did you realize you were passionate about science?

I knew very early on that I would pursue a science career, though the scientific topic has changed over the years. Science has been the only career I ever wanted to pursue.

Why are you passionate about your research topic?

I like to investigate the unknown and I want to help people.

What do you want the public to know about your research? Why is your topic important?

Pancreatic cancer is one of the worst forms of cancer to be diagnosed with since it has a high mortality rate. My research is important because I am looking a novel ways to treat pancreatic cancer while understanding its (the cancer’s) relationship with inflammation.

You recently were a co-first author paper in Molecular Carcinogenesis, what was that experience like?

It was a relief and very satisfying considering how much effort I put into the manuscript. Being able to publish without submitting additional data though was icing on the cake.

What was your best memory during graduate school or what did you learn?

I can’t say that I have one particular meeting, but I think my best memories of graduate school have involved my animal work. I have had the fortune of learning to work with a few different animal models. However, learning how to implant orthotopic pancreatic tumors has been one of my favorites. Since coming to graduate school, I have realized that I really like being in the operating room.

What do you like to do outside of graduate school?

I enjoy movies, swimming, dancing, baking, and karaoke.

What’s next?

I am planning to graduate in the fall semester and after that find an academic postdoc.