Akansha is from Naperville, IL and graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a B.S. in Biochemistry and Computer Sciences. During college, she was an undergraduate research assistant in Eric Johannsen’s lab at the Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research, learning about Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) through bioinformatics-based methods development as well as wet-lab experiments. Now, Akansha continues to learn more about cancer biology by analyzing copy number alterations for projects within the NCI’s Genomic Data Analysis Network (GDAN). She also works in Matthew Meyerson’s group, performing genomic analyses to identify and characterize new targets for cancer therapeutics.

Fun Fact: Akansha reads nearly 100 books a year, is always down to try a new art project (though painting might be a lost cause), and considers old Bollywood movies the perfect comfort watch.

Favorite quote: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” ― Maya Angelou