Dr. Deanna Stueber started her journey at Brown in 2016 as a Master’s student in Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering. Eight years later, she will culminate her experience as a Brown graduate student as a PhD commencement speaker later this month. 

Initially intrigued by genetics, Deanna’s interest in drug delivery led her to switch gears partway through her Master’s program and conduct research in Dr. Edith Mathiowitz’s lab. There, her research focused on the potential use of transvaginal drug delivery for pain relief. The data analyzed and discovered in her Master’s thesis could serve as a basis for developing products that alleviate menstrual cramps and discomfort. 

As a PhD candidate, Deanna conducted research under her advisor Dr. Vicki Colvin into the physical and chemical characteristics of iron oxide nanoparticles. Her dissertation characterized the relationships between these properties and the biomedical applications of nanoparticles, and her findings could assist researchers in better understanding particle design.

Deanna was selected by the Graduate Student Council as a commencement speaker after sharing a sample speech that used the condition of Providence roads as a metaphor for the often tumultuous and always unpredictable PhD experience. Her speech is titled “Ph.D.: Potholes, Hazards and Detours” and intends to reflect the unifying elements of all PhD students' complex journeys toward graduation. 

Deanna shared in an interview with Brown that her PhD journey coincided with planning her wedding, serving as a teaching assistant, and dealing with industrial shortages in several materials needed for her research. 

Before Brown, Deanna called many places home, including upstate New York and Blue Bell, Pennsylvania. She completed her undergraduate degree in Biomedical Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.