Honor Society® member
Wilfried S. Banaba
Graduate Research Assistant at Georgetown University, Dept. of Biochemistry and Mol. Biology, Roepe Lab.
- Georgetown University
- biochemistry & molecular biology
- Class of 2025
- Washington, DC
Member since December 2022
About
I arrived at Georgetown University during Summer 2017, completed a Master of Science Degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology during Spring 2018, then joined the PhD program in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology during Summer 2018 at the same University. My PhD research concentrates on Infectious Disease (Malaria drug resistance research) at Professor Paul D. Roepe Laboratory, Georgetown University. I am currently in my fifth year of PhD research.
Education
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Georgetown University
biochemistry and molecular biology
2017 – 2025
Honors and awards
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Merit-Based Graduate School Financial Aid Award
On the recommendation of the Office of the President, I was. offered a Jesuit Graduate Tuition Scholarship for the Academic Year 2017-2018 to support my Master Program in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at GU Graduate School of Arts & Sciences.
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Academic achievement award
Student Research Day Presentation Award, November 3, 2021, by Georgetown University Biomedical Graduate Education.
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Certificate of Appreciation
From the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular & Cellular Biology, December 3, 2021, for Volunteering to the service of graduate students.
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Certificate of Leadership and Mentoring 2021 and 2022.
Recognition of outstanding leadership in the one step ahead mentoring (OSAM) program, office of Career Strategy and Professional Development, GU BGE.
Goals and interests
- Career goal
I intend in future to teach biomedical subjects at a medical school, perform biomedical diagnostics in a Hospital, mentor medical students and perform cutting-edge scientific research at the University level. I intend to build and run a clinical diagnostic and research Laboratory where I can achieve my current goals and professional dreams.
- Graduate school interests
My Graduate interests concentrate on the study of the most virulent strain of Malaria, Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) in infected human blood. I studied the molecular mechanism of antimalarial drug resistance using laboratory adapted malaria strains and aimed to design more effective artemisinin based combinational therapies against both the sensitive and resistant malaria parasites. More specifically, my most recent investigation aimed to study the role of Pf phosphatidyl inositol 3'-kinases (PfPI3K) in Artemisinin drug resistance (ARTR) and the parasite autophagy-like pathways (PALPs). These primary interests further led me to the development of innovative, sensitive and effective methods of malaria diagnostics and the parasite genome editing using CRISPR-Cas9 editing technology and other molecular biology techniques..
- Outside the classroom
I enjoy very much Music, Soccer and Athletic Running.
I enjoy chatting with people of all cultures, and I love caring for others, especially for the poor, vulnerable and marginalized people.
Experience
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Graduate Research Assistant
Georgetown University, Dept. of Biochemistry and Mol. Biology, Roepe Lab.
Dec 2017 – Sep 2022
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Research Scientist (Malaria research Lab)
Biochem Research Internship training at Roepe Lab, for the the completion of the Biochem Master Program, Spring 2018.
Dec 2017 – May 2018
Volunteering
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Pastoral Care Associate
MedStar Georgetown University Hospital
Dec 2019 – Jan 2022
Languages
- French (France) Advanced
- English (US) Advanced
