Lance Justin Nuique      

When and how did you realize that you wanted to study Genetics & Genomics?

Genetics & Genomics topics are implicated in a lot of aspects in our daily lives, not only personally within the body but with the food we consume, and diseases to name a few. There are a lot of different applications of the different topics and Genetics & Genomics gives a foundational understanding to then branch off into more specific topics. I realized I wanted to study it after my summer program at A&M because it showed me the scope of the topic and how it can be applied to a lot of different research questions.

Why did you choose the Genetics & Genomics Ph.D. program at A&M?

The program was introduced to me through A&M’s SURGe Program where in the summer of 2024 I had hands on experience in Dr. Sun’s lab in Chemical Engineering. The interdisciplinary aspect of the program is really beneficial because it doesn’t constrain the research topics. There is also the community aspect to the people involved in the program from the students, the PIs and everyone in between. Everyone is always willing to help answer questions or point me in the right direction.

If you were free to choose anything, what research question/topic would you like to address for your graduate studies?

When I was in undergrad, I had experience in a lot of different research topics ranging from genomic diversity of mushrooms and their microbiome, plastic degradation to computational research on the COVID protein, drug discovery for breast cancer and Parkinson’s disease. I want to combine both skills I’ve developed from my wet lab experiences as well as my computational background for a topic.

Fun Facts:

Do you have any hidden talents? If so, what are they.

I am fairly creative, I do art such as photography, calligraphy, painting, and graphic design.

Favorite place you have travelled to.

Japan. The food, the culture, and the sights to see was never ending. I really enjoyed how accessible most areas were via public transportation with either a train or a bus. The best part about my trip was the food, from buying a quick snack from a convenience store, small local restaurants, to michelin star places.