Adriana Coll De Peña wears many hats — she’s a wildlife photographer, a scientist at Moderna, and an advocate for Chicano, Hispanic, and Native American STEM students. Born in the Dominican Republic, where there were “great health disparities,” Adriana “identified early on that I wanted to pursue a career in a field that would allow me” to have a meaningful impact on solving those problems.

At Brown, Adriana’s research “focused on the development of rapid, high-throughput microfluidic analytical methods to support the development and ensure the quality of biopharmaceuticals.” Her work included research into mRNA vaccines and viral gene therapies. Throughout her academic career, she has presented at over twenty conferences and has fourteen peer-reviewed publications. Her PhD research earned her a Next Generation Investigator Award from CASSS. 

Adriana has worked at Moderna since January, after completing her dissertation last December. She is based in the Boston area and works “as a scientist focused on the development and implementation of microfluidic analytical methods.”

“The friendliness of everyone:” Why pursue a PhD at Brown?

Once Adriana knew she was interested in Biomedical Engineering, she wanted to specialize more deeply in the field. “I decided to pursue a PhD to specialize in microfluidics so that I could become an expert in the field and share my knowledge back in a meaningful way and have an impact,” she said. She also knew a PhD would be “a professional challenge,” pushing her knowledge and learning to new heights.

Visiting Brown, she was able to meet with her advisor Dr. Anubhav Tripathi and see the campus. “I loved the atmosphere and the friendliness of everyone around me,” she said. Dr. Tripathi's lab “was a great fit for me.” She said it is important that PhD students find a program that “is the right fit all around.”

Adriana looks back fondly on the little moments in Dr. Tripathi’s lab. “Some of my fondest memories in the lab are from hour-long meetings with Dr. Tripathi in front of a whiteboard trying to come up with solutions to some of the challenges in our projects,” she said. “We always challenged each other during those meetings, leading to very productive discussions and ultimately better science.”

Challenging each other led to successful and meaningful research. Adriana’s work resulted in translatable technology that could have an impact beyond the focus of her research, the development of analytical methods for nucleic acid delivery vehicles. By deeply investigating molecules’ “fundamental electrophoretic properties,” Adriana’s research has the potential for wide-ranging impact.

“Create community:” Passion and togetherness outside the lab

At Brown, Adriana served as a BME PhD Peer Mentor, and got involved with the I-BEAM Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan Committee. Her role as Brown University Chapter Treasurer for the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science stands out as having a particularly meaningful impact.

SACNAS is a national organization that aims to encourage diversity in STEM, celebrating the new voices and perspectives that individuals of diverse culture and identities can bring to science. As part of Brown’s SACNAS chapter, Adriana helped organize the 2022 New England Regional Conference that brought together students, faculty, and staff from across New England.

“Being part of SACNAS, I met great people from different cultures and was part of the organizing committee of a regional conference that we hosted at Brown,” Adriana said. “It gave us the opportunity to create a welcoming, inclusive conference for people where we could present our science and create community.” The experience also taught all the organizers new and valuable skills, said Adriana, which have carried over into the rest of her work. 

Independently, Adriana has pursued her passion for wildlife photography, sharing photos from her trips to the Serengeti, Madagascar, Lake Tanganyika, South Africa, and Ecuador on her website. On the site, Adriana describes photography and research as her “two passions.”

“Every person is on a different path:” Navigating the unique PhD journey 

To Adriana, the PhD experience is vastly different for different people. “Every person is on a different path and different sub-field so it really does not make sense to compare your (journey) against that of other people,” she said.

That journey can be a windy or straight path, Adriana emphasized, saying that “some people come in with a clear idea, while for others, (their PhD) will be dictated by the direction their work takes down the road.” That means that “there isn't a one answer fits all solution” to problems that come up during someone’s PhD. 

Adriana also stressed that the PhD experience varies across schools. “Each university will have a slightly different program and each advisor will have a different mentoring style,” she said. “Make sure to prioritize the ones that are most compatible with your needs to support you and push you through this journey.”