Life is short, so follow your heart—at the end of the day, your life and career are your choice and responsibility. Choose an environment that will nourish your growth. Find where you will be happy day after day—and go there!
My aunt took me to her laboratory when I was four. I spent time at her workplace doing little experiments like mixing water with food coloring in test tubes. I was fascinated by the sights and sounds of the lab, and by the scientists. After that, I drew myself as a scientist in a laboratory every day in preschool. I was convinced that the only thing I wanted to do, ever, was to be a scientist. Little did I know at the time how lucky I was to have discovered my lifelong passion for research.
Today, in my postdoctoral training at MIT, I lead a project to develop a new type of microscope: a microscope on a chip. I model the microscope with my advisor and labmates; the design goes to a foundry which fabricates it; and, after a few months, the foundry sends us our chip to test. We hope to use this microscope to diagnose diseases: its small size and low cost allow it to be used in more settings than a traditional microscope.
My biggest obstacle came when I was entering the last year of my PhD and needed to test my imaging system on patients in an institutional review board (IRB)-approved study. We were in COVID-19 lockdown, so I had to wait until our university’s hospital opened for research. I rode my bike to the hospital every day, afraid that New York City might go back into lockdown. I originally promised my thesis committee I would image 25 patients; with the help of our clinical team, I imaged 100 patients. Laser-like focus and persistence were my best friends through that time.
I wish someone had encouraged me to investigate all aspects of medical-device adoption for clinical use. There is a lot to learn besides the science: How do new medical devices get approved? Who brings these innovations to market? Exploring the full scope of translation at an earlier stage would’ve given me more insights.
Diana Mojahed
Postdoctoral Associate, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Department of Materials Science & Engineering, United States
Born in United States / Resides in United States
Educational Background: BS, Biology and Physics, Tufts University, United States; MS, Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, United States; PhD, Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, United States
