Chemistry of Life Processes Institute graduate trainee Ananya Basu, a PhD candidate in the Department of Chemistry, was among seven recipients of this year’s The Presidential Fellowship, the most prestigious fellowship awarded to graduate students by Northwestern University. A diverse committee of accomplished faculty members from a range of disciplines and fields selected the fellowship recipients from an impressive pool of nominations.
The fellows were chosen for their demonstrated record of outstanding academic achievement, promise as scholars, teachers, and researchers, and the ability to communicate the significance and impact of their research to a broad academic audience.
As Presidential Fellows, this year’s recipients will take on a leadership role in the Society of Fellows. The fellows will represent their respective disciplines and the broader graduate community in gatherings and discussions throughout the year. Together, they enhance the interdisciplinary vibrancy of Northwestern University.
Ananya’s thesis work lies within chemical biology and targeted therapeutics, specifically in the field of targeted protein degradation. Protein degraders are an emerging class of therapies that hold great promise to expand the scope of treatable human diseases. Broadly, she draws from a suite of chemistry and biology techniques to develop a methodology to streamline the discovery process for protein degraders and extend the reach of degrader-based therapies. This work serves as a foundational step toward bringing new degraders to the clinic where they can improve patient outcomes.
Ananya received a BS in Chemistry from the University of Cincinnati, where she immersed herself in research spanning bioinorganic chemistry, organometallic chemistry, and neuro-oncology. She is a strong proponent of interdisciplinary science and is very fortunate to receive support as an NIH T32 trainee from the Chemistry of Life Processes Institute at Northwestern. She is also passionate about outreach work within and outside her department to help foster an interest in science among young people. Ananya is particularly excited by high-risk, high-reward science, and in her future career, aspires to lead by example and encourage other women to pursue careers in science and tackle high-impact research questions. When she is not in the middle of an experiment, she enjoys eating bagels, playing with the lab fish, pushing the limits of hallway agriculture, and exploring new places around Chicago by train.
