PhD Journal Of A Ghanaian Woman in Stem

I am excited to share that I’ve been selected as a 2026 Wayne L. Ryan Fellow. This was the best news to begin the semester and came at a really meaningful point in my PhD journey. Over the past couple of years, I’ve spent a lot of time working on my dissertation research and perhaps most importantly learning how to become an independent scientist.

My dissertation research, which I explain in much simpler terms here, focuses on understanding how molecular chaperones coordinate protein quality control. Over the past three years, I have had the opportunity to combine biochemistry, biophysics, and cryo-electron microscopy to investigate these mechanisms and uncover how these molecular machines work together. I still think it’s a little magical that I get to watch this at nearly atomic detail.

I do have a habit of not pausing to acknowledge and celebrate my achievements. I just move on to the ‘next’ thing. Writing this post is, in a way, me giving myself that pat on my back.I truly feel honored to have received this fellowship. I know that someone looked at the work I’ve poured myself into, and the weird winding road that got me here, and said yes. That means a lot. It was also nice to go out for drinks with my lab and be celebrated by friends.

I excited to see what the next couple of years bring!