Congratulations to Daisy Duan, a 5th year MB&B PhD candidate in the Koleske Lab, for being awarded the 2023 Annie Le Fellowship. This fellowship is awarded in memory of Annie Le and is awarded to students who have demonstrated leadership and service to the Yale and New Haven community, have an exemplary record of academic achievement, and outstanding interpersonal skills.
In the Koleske lab, Daisy studies Abl family kinases- evolutionarily conserved regulators of cell migration and morphogenesis. Genetic experiments in Drosophila suggest that Abl family kinases interact functionally with microtubules to regulate axon guidance and neuronal morphogenesis. Vertebrate Abl2 binds to microtubules and promotes elongation both in vitro and in cells, but the molecular mechanism by which Abl2 regulate microtubule (MT) Dynamics remains unclear. To address this, Daisy is currently studying how Abl2 regulates MT assembly via condensation and direct interactions with both the MT lattice and tubulin dimers.
During her time at Yale, Daisy has been involved in numerous programs that aim to increase diversity at Yale and provide valuable resources to underserved communities. She served leadership roles in both Científico Latino, an organization that helps students from underrepresented backgrounds apply to and thrive in graduate school, and The Yale BBS Diversity and Inclusion Collective (YBDIC), a collective of Yale scientists committed to fostering intellectual and personal growth of underrepresented minority students. Currently, she is also serving as a mentor for the Yale BioMed Amgen Scholars Program.
When asked about her motivation to be involved in these organizations, Daisy recalled a mentor she had during an internship at Merck. She said that while she really enjoyed research, she did not know many scientists who came from a similar background, which made her feel like she wouldn’t belong in a PhD program. However, her mentor, Dr. Pat Ahl, believed in her and knew she would thrive in graduate school, so he encouraged her to apply. With his support, she decided to apply, and the support she received from him and others during the process made her realize the impact that having someone support and believe in you can have. Once starting her PhD program at Yale, she wanted to have that kind of impact on other scientists from marginalized backgrounds. She believes that, “if you want to make any place more inclusive, just ask yourself what can you personally do to improve it. Even small things can really improve someone’s experience.”
Her advisor, Tony Koleske, says that, “Daisy is an exceptional scholar, a highly accomplished scientist, an exemplary colleague, and a driving force for diversifying our community and promoting inclusion in our department, at Yale, and nationally. Her recognition as an Annie Le Fellow is very well deserved.”
By Jake Thrasher