Wafa Malik, B.A.

Wafa is a graduate student in the lab within the Biological and Biomedical Sciences(BBS) program at Harvard Medical School. For her undergraduate studies, she attended Mount Holyoke College’19 where she majored in Biochemistry. During this time, she worked in the lab of Craig Woodard and studied the regulatory pathways involved in the developmental processes in Drosophila melanogaster. After college Wafa joined the Hata lab, as a research technician, where she studied the mechanisms of acquired resistance to Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK) driven Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC). As a Ph.D. student, Wafa aims to combine her diverse research backgrounds to explore mechanisms of tumorigenesis, cancer metastasis, and acquired resistance to leverage this knowledge towards the development of targeted therapies. Outside of science, Wafa is an avid cricket fan and in her free time, she enjoys playing tennis, going out with friends to explore the Boston area, and spending time in nature.

Grace Kelley, B.S.

Grace joined the Hata lab in July 2022 after earning her BS in Biology from Providence College with a minor in Community Health. During her undergraduate studies, she worked in the Silvestrini Lab studying the role of autophagy using the model organism C. elegans. She also worked as a Certified Nursing Assistant in a memory care unit. In the Hata lab, she is a member of the Model Development team. Outside of the lab, she enjoys spending time with her friends, hiking, and getting to travel.