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MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
College of Natural Science
Microbiology, Genetics, & Immunology

Dara Villa

Dara Villa is an MGI doctoral student in the Pyeon Lab. These are her answers to the Micro Biography questions:

A p rson with long dark hair and glasses stands leaning against a brick wall. They are wearing a black, buttoned-down shirt and light blue jeans. They are smiling, and their hands are casually placed in the pockets of the jeans. The background features green vines climbing up the wall, providing a natural contrast to the urban brickwork.
Dara Villa

How and when did you become interested in the field(s) of microbiology, genetics, and/or immunology?

I was in middle school when I took my first biology class. It made a deep impression on me which ultimately lead me to major in Biology.

Were there any particular people or events who were influential in your journey?

I´ve always been a curious person ever since I was a kid. I used to inspect bugs and plants with a toy microscope and would spend my afternoons looking at ladybugs and wildflowers. As I became older, the same curiosity brought me to explore microorganisms, and finally cancer. I think my family were my main inspiration, I grew up looking up to the older women in my family, who encouraged me to study in the STEM field.

How did you come to be a part of this department?

I decided to be part of MGI because I love to learn about the immune system. I applied to the BMS program and chose Dr Pyeon's Lab as my home for the next 5 years while I work on my PhD.

What is your main role / research area right now and why is it important?

My main research area is focused on HPV+ cancer immune evasion mechanisms, which are important to study and understand for the development of immunotherapies.

How do you see your role / research evolving?

I want to expand our current approach to some specific immune cells and study their role and contribution to cancer-cell killing.

What types of activities are you involved in outside of work / research?

I´ve been a sabre fencer since I was 11, and I just went back to training. I really love it. I also enjoy coffee shops, museums, walks, and science fiction/fantasy books.

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

Curiosity and open-mindedness are great tools that are perfect for scientists. If you are deeply interested in a field of research, make use of your skills to expand your understanding, and that will expand other peoples' understanding.

What is next for you?

I'm eager to develop my own project in the lab, focusing on investigating NK cells' role in HPV+ head and neck cancer. I am very excited to hone my technical and critical thinking skills so I can apply them in the next few months as I establish myself in the lab.

What do you see as your current career trajectory?

I am not sure of the specific field I will go into, but developing immunotherapies is definitely my biggest aspiration in the long run, regardless of what shape that may take in the future.