Activities: Aresty Research Center, Tango club and salsa classes
What attracted you to Rutgers University and the Honors/Scholars Program?
Variety of curriculum, opportunities for research, excellence and networking.
Why did you choose your major and/or minor?
Genetics was my main passion, but I was also interested by the field of forensic science and law, so I decided to do a minor in Criminology to see if I would be interested into pursuing this further. It also allowed me to think in a very different way than I usually did during my biology/chemistry courses, which was refreshing.
Tell us a little bit about what you're doing now. What was your first job after Rutgers? Where you do you live? What was your first job after Rutgers? Where you do you live?
I obtained a master's degree and a PhD at the University of Cambridge (UK). I currently live in Lausanne (Switzerland) where I work as a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Immunobiology at the University of Lausanne.
What has been your greatest professional and/or personal accomplishment since you graduated from Rutgers?
Publication of my PhD work in the peer-reviewed journal Science Won the Milo Keynes prize for outstanding PhD dissertation (University of Cambridge) Won an EMBO postdoctoral fellowship to fund my research at the University of Lausanne
Was there a class and/or experience at Rutgers that led you to pursuing your current career?
I discovered my passion for research while being at Rutgers - I knew that I wanted to do an Honor's thesis, and for that I needed to be in a lab. So I applied to the Aresty Research Center at the end of my freshman year, and this allowed me to work as a research assistant in the laboratory of Dr. Mary Konsolaki during my sophomore year. Dr. Konsolaki used to teach Genetics, and she was working on a Drosophila model of Alzheimer's disease. I continued working in the Konsolaki lab during my junior and senior year, and during the latter I won an Aresty Undergraduate Fellowship to fund the final bits of my research project.
What three words describe your experience at Rutgers and the Honors/Scholars Program?
Multi-faceted. Intense. Eye-opening
How has your Rutgers and Honors education benefited you in your post-Rutgers life?
I had the chance to really diversify my curriculum, which was very interesting for me, and which also gave me an edge when applying to graduate school.
What advice do you have for our current SAS Honors Program students?
Explore the wide range of possibilities that this program can offer you. Don't just stick to what's required to get into med school or wherever you want to go next - do follow your interests as well, as you might finding something new that will define the next stages of your career, and that will set you apart from other applicants.
For more information about this Honors alum, visit:
https://twitter.com/miriamlisci
https://www.linkedin.com/in/miriam-lisci-703165bb/
Are you a Rutgers Honors alum? Be featured in an upcoming Honors Alumni Spotlight by completing our online submission form.
