What’s the most important leadership lesson you’ve learned?

Surrounding yourself with inspiring, motivating individuals and fostering a positive environment is crucial for personal and professional growth.

What do you consider to be your most important career achievement or milestone?

I contributed to the development of a portable 3D bioprinter that combats volumetric muscle loss following acute injuries like crush injuries, burns, and tumors.

What do you aspire to accomplish in your career and why?

Cancer prevention and cure.

How was AWIS helped you professionally and/or personally?

By always advocating for women in science.

What is your favorite word? (only one word)

Resilience.

How do you define it?

Resilience gives you the ability to withstand any difficult situation.

How has this word influenced or inspired your career?

Resilience helps me to persist and resist the temptation to give in or give up easily. It allows me to be continuously advancing towards my career goal.

What are you currently reading or listening to?

The Art of Quiet Influence.

What do you consider the best professional or personal advice you’ve ever received?

You hold the sole power to determine your potential; no one else does.

Dharaniya Sakthivel is a Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) scholar, currently pursuing a PhD at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM). Her research focuses on understanding the role of caspase-2 in acute myeloid leukemia. Prior to BCM, she did her postgraduate research at Harvard Medical School, studing the molecular mechanism underlying hypoxia signaling in sarcopenic obesity and cancer models. She hopes to establish a long-standing scientific career in developing efficient therapeutic interventions for liquid and solid tumors.