Harini is a sophomore majoring in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology with plans to pursue an MD/PhD in Cancer Biology or Immunology. Her goal is to become a physician-scientist who discovers mechanisms of cancer progression and engineers novel therapies to address therapeutic vulnerabilities and resistance mechanisms.
Harini is currently working on a research project in the DiFeo laboratory in Michigan Medicine’s Department of Pathology. She studies miR-181a and MYC-mediated metabolic reprogramming in the tumor microenvironment of high-grade serous carcinoma. Her previous research involved the protective role of STING-rich ciliated cells in halting carcinogenesis, as well as the identification of a TNIK-CDK9 axis as a targetable strategy for platinum-resistant ovarian cancer, resulting in both co-authorship on a publication under review and 2nd authorship of a published manuscript in Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, an American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) journal.
Outside of the laboratory, Harini is a strong proponent of science communication and participates in several extracurriculars. She leads laboratory tours for high school students through the One Day Closer program, served as the business subteam lead of Project MIA, a biomedical engineering team that develops sustainable and culturally-sensitive menstrual pads for an indigenous community in the Peruvian Amazon, and collaborated with a team of 30 students in the Michigan Synthetic Biology Team, to engineer and optimize a bacteria to degrade pollutants in Ann Arbor groundwater. This team also received a silver medal in the international genetically engineered machines competition.
Harini states, “I’m honored to be named a 2025 Astronaut Scholar! I’m looking forward to meeting the other scholars this August in Houston and learning about the fascinating work everyone is doing. This opportunity motivates me to keep pursuing important questions and building collaborations that can change the future of biomedical research.”
Harini would like to thank her PI, Dr. Analisa DiFeo for her unwavering support, and also appreciates the encouragement she received from the entire DiFeo lab, particularly Dr. Noah Puleo, Dr. Jose Colina, and Dr. Rita Avelar. She is grateful to Grace McIntyre for encouraging her to apply and the thoughtful recommendations from Dr. Montgomery, Dr. Bridwell-Rabb, and ONSF’s director, Melissa. Finally, Harini would like to thank her friends and family for their ongoing emotional support throughout her academic journey.
