MIT

Sherry Nyeo, an MIT senior majoring in computer science and molecular biology, studies RNA and plans to pursue a career in biotechnology.

She promotes research opportunities as a UROP panelist and has worked as an associate advisor since her junior year. As part of her current work in the lab of professor of biology David Bartel, Nyeo investigates how viral infection affects RNA metabolism, and she often finds herself using her computational skills to help postdocs with their data analysis. Since her first year, Nyeo has been a part of the MIT Biotech Group. Although Nyeo’s work in the life sciences keeps her busy, she finds time to nurture a diverse set of other passions. Most recently, she has been working within the Bathe BioNano Lab to use DNA to engineer new materials at the nanometer scale. In the meantime, however, she’s finding ways to help people closer to home. Through it all, she has continued to pursue her fascination with RNA, a tiny, somewhat unassuming molecule that nonetheless has a massive impact on practically every aspect of our biology. Since her sophomore year, she has also been a part of the During her time as a student researcher, Nyeo has demonstrated a similar ability to adapt to different circumstances. Her work in the lab of Whitehead Fellow Silvi Rouskin sparked an enduring interest in RNA, which she has come to regard as her “favorite biomolecule.” “It was a completely different way of thinking.” When she arrived at MIT, she decided to pursue a degree in computer science precisely because she knew she would find it challenging and because she appreciates how vital data analysis is to the field of biology. After all, she says, when you’re working at the scale of cells and molecules, “you need a lot of data to describe what’s going on.”