Introduction to Research Methods 2022

Dr. Urmimala Basu

Hi everyone! I’m Urmi, a post-doctoral research associate in the Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at Harvard Medical School. To me science has always been about figuring out the unknown through experimentation. It has been interesting how my discernment of science and what it means to me has evolved through the years. From marveling at the crude color changes on mixing liquids, (did this a lot as a kid with pretty much all the household items I could lay my hands on; it’s a wonder that my parents’ house is still standing!) to understanding the molecular intricacies of how life’s genetic materials are made, my journey with science has been a fascinating one! The feeling of awe is always incremental in my aesthetical appreciation of science. After completing my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in ‘Chemistry’ and ‘Biophysics and Molecular Biology’, respectively, from University of Calcutta, India, I worked as a lecturer, teaching Biomedical physics to a cohort of advanced nursing students at the West Bengal Government College of Nursing affiliated to West Bengal University of Health Sciences, Kolkata, India.
I chose to pursue my graduate work in Professor Smita Patel’s lab at Rutgers University where I asked fundamental questions on mitochondrial transcription initiation which is a key step in mitochondrial gene regulation and critically related to energy metabolism. My graduate work was supported by a pre-doctoral fellowship from the American Heart Association and University and Louis Bevier Dissertation Completion Fellowship from the School of Graduate Studies, Rutgers University. I was thrilled when my dissertation was awarded the Stanley S. Bergen Medal of Excellence for the top dissertation across the biomedical sciences at Rutgers University in 2019.
Graduate school served as the perfect platform to diversify my scientific toolbox and hone my mentoring skills, in addition to maturing as a science communicator. I was a mentor in the ‘1000 girls, 1000 futures’ program by the New York Academy of Sciences where I worked with the students on various issues related to academics, internships, and career choices. I also mentored undergraduate students at my graduate lab at Rutgers on research projects related to my own work, published recently in The Journal of Biological Chemistry. During this time, I discovered my passion for science communication while working as a blogger in the Rutgers iJOBS program which aims at keeping the biomedical graduate student and post-doctoral researcher community updated with the latest trends in the field.
My tenure as a graduate student has solidified my desire to be a scientist and mentor. I recently joined Professor Stephen Buratowski’s lab at Harvard Medical School for my post-doctoral training. Here, I am asking fundamental questions in gene regulation at the transcriptional level by mRNA capping enzymes. I am excited to be part of an inclusive and collaborative environment at Harvard. I look forward to hearing from you about my teaching and research in the form of suggestions and/or questions!