Major: Kinesiology - Sports Medicine concentration
Minor: Neuroscience
Research Advisors: Dr. Carmen Dessauer at the UT Health Science Center

A mouse bit Simi when she tried to grab one. “Everyone in the lab was worried, but I thought it was exciting,” says Simi.

At the time, she was exploring animal behavior and could not calm her nerves around the mice she studied. Because mice can smell alarm pheromones and detect when someone is stressed, sometimes they responded to Simi by biting.

Still, Simi valued the mice's incredible sensitivity. As a neuroscience minor, she saw the potential in the mice to provide insight into neural systems and translate the concepts she learned in class to empirical research done across the street.

At Dr. Carmen Dessauer’s lab at the UT Health Science Center, Simi studies the causes of chronic pain and irregular heartbeat—two very common health conditions, each with over 3 million cases in the US per year.

Specifically, she is investigating the role of certain proteins in controlling heart rate and chronic pain.

During her research, Simi has come to appreciate the collaboration among lab members and the banter that ensues.

“I've worked with every member, from the principal investigator to grad students to postdocs to research tech, on some project. It's a never-ending cycle of learning from each other and getting better, and I love that every day is something new,” says Simi.

On campus, Simi is involved with mental health advocacy and student government. She has served as the co-president of Rice Alliance for Mental Health Awareness, an organization that works to address the stigma surrounding mental illness through panels, forums, awareness weeks, and other campus-wide events.

Simi is applying to MD/Ph.D. programs this cycle and is happy to point out resources to interested students so they may get involved early.

This spotlight is courtesy of the Rice University-School of Natural Sciences Facebook page.