#WhyIScience

The Broad Institute connects approximately 4,000 scientists and other professionals. #WhyIScience invites members of the Broad community to share what motivates them to support the institute’s mission – to accelerate the pace at which the world conquers disease.

Meet some of our amazing researchers and staff in these #WhyIScience profiles:

Allison Dougherty, Broad Communications

talks about her work developing cancer treatments and cultivating a community that promotes accessibility at the Broad

Naeem Nadaf, Credit: Allison Dougherty, Broad Communications

talks about his work to improve single-cell research protocols and technologies and how he transitioned from dentistry to life in a lab

Photo of Maryam Zekavat

discusses what drew her to combining computational biology with ophthalmology and cardiovascular medicine, and her work inspiring high school girls in science and engineering

Allison Dougherty, Broad Communications

discusses her work as an information security engineer and her involvement with the Black community at Broad

Allison Dougherty, Broad Communications

aims to help patients and enable scientific discoveries with new data analysis tools

Kiara Westbrooks

works on tools to help people participate in research

Credit: Delia Sosa

talks about how their experiences shape their approach to research and their interactions with patients.

Adrienne Mathiowetz Photography

talks about his work using techniques from computer science to help improve biomedical data security.

Charles Vanderburg

talks about the importance of classical neuroanatomy in developing novel genetic tools to study psychiatric disease.

Ritu Singh

helps scientists characterize the fate of their therapeutics under development, in both cells and animal models.

Esther Elonga

wants to become a physician-scientist and support the refugee community.

Elena Torlai Triglia

talks about the importance of supporting early-career researchers and what inspires her as a woman in science

Pierre Ankomah

discusses what brought him to the United States and the mentors who helped him along the way

discusses the benefits of interdisciplinary research, how to mentor a team during a pandemic, and how he’s helping to fight racism.

Grace Tiao

talks about her roundabout route to the Broad and the power of effective teamwork

Marianie Simeon

talks about her passion for coding, STEM education, and advocacy for the Black community at Broad

Alex K. Shalek and Jose Ordovas-Montanes

talk about their single-cell genomics study on COVID-19 disease in children

Eno-Abasi Augustine-Akpan

talks about her career in software engineering and her passion for mentoring young girls of color in science.

Aida Badiane and Katie Siddle

talk about their work on malaria and other fever-causing pathogens

talks about the importance of animal models in her work investigating the roots of autism and other psychiatric disorders.

talks about the benefits and challenges of a career analyzing large and diverse datasets

Julian Avila-Pacheco

talks about his staff scientist career path and how he has tackled imposter syndrome as a minority scientist

Katie Geiger-Schuller

connects molecular insights with disease physiology to improve human health

helps design software to solve biomedical research problems

Tommaso Biancalani

uses artificial intelligence to build 3D models of organs

brings teams together to hunt for cancer cells’ weak spots

solves the structures of proteins and supports the development of better therapeutics

Andrew Cherniack

mines tumor data for clues

uses computer science to bridge genetics and therapeutics

Rocky Stroud II

helps lead the largest psychiatric genetics study in Africa

combats cardiovascular disease on multiple fronts

Samantha Baxter

helps bridge the gap between genomic researchers and the patient experience

Pradeep Natarajan

uncovers the genetic secrets of heart disease

helps scientists tell their stories

writes code that gives scientific research a boost

helps keep viruses under surveillance

puts genetic alterations on the map

cuts across disciplines as a computational chemist

Christina Cuomo

leads genomic research on the fungal kingdom

shows that, in biomedicine, a picture can be worth a million data points

transitions from student-athlete to career scientist

targets cancer drug resistance

Adrianne Gladden-Young

hopes to make a difference in the fight against infectious disease

uses math to explore the interplay between DNA, the immune system, and disease

shapes genomic research with collaborative approach

studies a neglected kidney disease

seeks diversity to better understand human genetics

researches drug resistance in malaria

Elinor Karlsson

draws disease insights from dog descent

News at the broad

News / 08.11.22

Scientists discover new antiviral defense system in bacteria

News / 08.10.22

New study shows how microglia are prompted to change their state to adapt to different areas of the brain

News / 08.15.22

New online resource helps connect rare genetic variants to human health and disease

News / 08.19.22

First report from metastatic prostate cancer research project highlights patient perspectives