My BRAVO! Summer in Bristol: Researching Ancient Archaea and Discovering a New Home Abroad
This summer, I was incredibly fortunate to have been selected for the BRAVO! program, through which I had the opportunity to conduct research at the University of Bristol in England.
At the University of Bristol, I worked in the Donoghue-Pisani lab group, where my research project centered around assembling a chronology of trait evolution in ancient Archaea. To tackle this research question, I began by assembling phylogenetic trees of various protein domains, which are the smaller units of a protein that can often fold, function, and evolve independently.
After assembling these gene trees, I spent time deep diving into the topologies of each tree to look for duplication events–where two copies of a gene are present in the same genome. Duplication events can often result in functional innovation, where the new copy of the gene might perform a new role or the original function might be split between both copies. As my project focuses on ancient archaea, I specifically looked for duplications that occurred as Archaea was diverging from other life forms into the Archaeal domain of life that we know today. With a set of duplication events identified, I then began the time inference part of my project, which involved making use of computational tools to date our duplication events and comparing the ages between these duplication events.
Outside of the lab, I had the most amazing time exploring the city of Bristol. At first, it was quite overwhelming to navigate the various customs and norms that come with living in the UK. Before I knew it, however, I began to love being able to independently explore Bristol. I’ll forever cherish the afternoons spent roaming around Brandon Hill and the College Green, jogging by the harbourside, and splurging on food from all cuisines at St. Nicholas Market. I also had the opportunity to explore other nearby cities–like the nearby capital of Wales, Cardiff, the hometown of Jane Austen, Bath, and of course, the capital of the U.K., London. By the time my summer in Bristol came to a close, I couldn’t believe how accustomed I had become to life in the U.K.–where I was comfortable taking public transport, felt immersed within the community, and almost felt like I was becoming a local to the city.
Before my BRAVO! experience began, I remember feeling quite nervous–as I was worried about all of the difficulties and obstacles I might run into as I navigated an unfamiliar country. I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to be in Bristol this summer, as it’s taught me so much about appreciating the unknown. Although there were many ups and downs throughout the summer, I’ve learned to lean into and enjoy all of these experiences in my trip–and this is definitely a mindset I hope to carry forward, both in my research and in my personal life.
I’ll also forever cherish the friendships I made during this summer. Both my lab group at the University of Bristol, and the Bristol community at large, were so warm and welcoming. Getting to work with researchers from diverse backgrounds and exploring the city with the friends I’d made in the lab and at the university was such an unforgettable experience, and I’m so grateful for the new perspectives these relationships have introduced me to.
My BRAVO! summer has truly been one of the most vivid, fulfilling, and memorable experiences I’ve had. This summer has taught me so much–from discovering the art of queuing (it’s true that British people will queue for just about anything!) to learning how to adapt to an unfamiliar culture and workplace, overcome obstacles both in the lab and in daily life, and even appreciate the value of spending time alone. I’m incredibly grateful to all those who have made the BRAVO! program possible, and for Bristol and the wonderful people I’ve met for making the city feel like home.