Student Perspective: Laura Sanman

Why did you choose to come to graduate school at Stanford?

An excess of labs I would be interested in working in, the resources of a large university with the closeness of a smaller university, and a (relatively) relaxed and collaborative environment in which to pursue my research.

Describe your research.

I am developing and applying chemical tools to study proteases involved in inflammation.

Why did you choose to join your lab?

I decided to join my lab because I enjoyed the techniques and thought that the lab atmosphere was very supportive, collaborative, and fun.

Have you participated in any extracurricular classes/opportunities? What did you gain from these opportunities?

Cross-disciplinary Healthcare Innovation Partnerships at Stanford (CHIPS), the translational research program SPARK, the Biomedical Association for the Interest of Minority Students (BioAIMS), and the Stanford Biosciences Student Association (SBSA).

What are your future career plans? How has being at Stanford helped you along in these plans?

I'm interested in careers in academic research and science policy. I'm very glad I'm at Stanford because I've been able to learn about what a career in science policy actually entails through lunches with policy fellows, discussion with the amazingly helpful School of Medicine Career Center staff, and even a trip to Washington, D.C. I feel like I would not have had such breadth of opportunity to explore anywhere else.