Hometown: Swayzee, Indiana
BME Degree Program: Ph.D.
Lab affiliation: Dr. Christopher Hernandez
I chose Cornell because I felt supported, included, and challenged here. I was initially drawn to Cornell because of the breadth and diversity of research, and I was excited at the prospect of working on such creative, cutting edge work. However, what ultimately what made me choose Cornell was the sense of community in the BME department. It is full of good people who are genuinely rooting for your success.
Antibiotic resistance is a growing threat to global health. My research focuses on how bacteria are capable of sensing and responding to physical signals in their environment, and how this plays a part in antibiotic resistance. Through my work on understanding some of the fundamentals of bacteria physiology I hope to contribute to new antibiotic strategies down the road.
A prospective Cornell Ph.D. student recently told me that reading about my research was of the reasons they decided to apply to Cornell. Seeing how my work directly impacted another person a small but real way was one of the coolest moments of my Ph.D. so far.
It’s perfectly normal if you don’t know exactly what you what to do yet. Give yourself time to explore new areas of research and rotate in several different labs. Be open to going new directions. Biomedical engineering is at the intersection of many disciplines, and there is so much interesting research that you may not have heard of before.
I like paddle boarding on Cayuga Lake in the summer, playing board games in the winter, and playing volleyball with my friends year-round. I also enjoy volunteering for outreach programs that get girls and young women excited about science and engineering including Girl Scout Engineering Day, Expand Your Horizons, and Women’s Outreach in Materials, Energy and Nanobiotechnology.
After graduation, I want to use the research skills I have gained during my Ph.D. to work in medical device research and development. As a person with Type 1 Diabetes, I experience the positive impact medical technologies can have on people’s lives every day, and I want to contribute to that.
“The reward of the young scientist is the emotional thrill of being the first person in the history of the world to see something or to understand something. Nothing can compare with that experience.” – Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin
Ph.D. student Omary Mzava is developing cell-free nucleic acids assays to diagnose and monitor infectious and immune-related diseases. Read more about From Tanzania to Cornell: A biomedical engineer's journey to bridge gaps in global health
From a research focus to an entrepreneurial mindset, Ph.D. student Jon Albo is developing new technology to revolutionize how experiments are done, enabling better treatment of illness in humans and animals Read more about Revolutionizing Research: A drive for real-world impact results in cutting-edge technology
Research, service and giving back are at the heart of Peyton Lancaster's Cornell experience. Read more about Paying it forward: A heart patient inspired to impact future patients
