I firmly believe that being a researcher is not just a career but a way of life that demands perseverance, intellectual curiosity, and commitment to advancing knowledge. Under the supervision of Professor Jonathan Miller at OIST, I had the privilege of conducting PhD-level computational research while balancing the demands of my undergraduate studies. During this time, I observed the pressures of the publish-or-perish culture in academia but remained committed to conducting meaningful and ethical research. Under his guidance, I gained invaluable insights into how groundbreaking science is conducted, no matter how long the process might take. Professor Miller’s mentorship profoundly shaped my research approach, and being part of his lab was a transformative moment when his colleague, Professor Svante Pääbo, won the Nobel Prize in Physiology/Medicine (2022). The research I was pursuing at that time closely aligned with Professor Pääbo’s work, reinforcing my confidence in the potential impact of my efforts and elevating my aspirations to new heights.

My experiences in academic research over past couple of years since 2021 has strengthened my belief that academia is the place where I belong. I am fascinated by the ethics, honesty and rigor that academia represents. Compared to the outcomes which are more apparent in industry, academia forces researchers to face these uncertainties and solve problems with much more harder questions over much longer timescales. Overcoming smaller technical challenges (which are still not easy) in academia has given me the greatest satisfaction and inspired me to pursue academic research. I am eager to join in a highly competitive environment and push myself out of my comfort zone, because I am peer-pressure-driven and consider this as a motivation.

My philosophy of success is simple: I seek out individuals smarter than myself, collaborate with them, and learn from their expertise. My leadership experiences have taught me that while I cannot excel in every domain, I can bring brilliant minds together to achieve impactful solutions for the greater good of science and humanity. Throughout my academic journey, I have combined technical expertise, research experience, and interpersonal skills to accomplish ambitious goals that often seemed beyond reach.