Good News

but it changes my status from "Ph.D. student" to "Doctoral Candidate" meaning that I am, in the eyes of my school, a leading expert in the specific field I research. It comes with a free masters degree as well, which is a nice prize too.

One of my advisors said qualifiers are the last exam you'll ever have to study for in your academic career, which is cool.

So now, I just have to write my dissertation and defend it, and I'll get the Ph.D. I've deferred for 20 years.

I study neurobiology and genetics in mosquitos. Specifically, how they find people to bite and what goes on in their little brains after they feed. More broadly I am interested in serotonin and dopamine, and the chemistry of motivation, desire, and choice-making.

Short answer - science. Never imagined I'd have "pet" mosquitos.



Thanks for the congrats. I am over the moon.