The goal of the Diversification of Our Research Scientists (D.O.O.R.S) Scholarship, presented by the BioPharmaceutical Technology Center Institute in partnership with Promega Corporation, is to recognize and empower underrepresented students in STEM by offering a $5,000 award that can be used towards resources to support tuition and fees required for enrollment or attendance at an educational institution,  including fees, books, supplies, and equipment required for courses within that institution.

In addition, the D.O.O.R.S. awardees will participate in mentorship relationships. DOORS Scholars are matched with a mentor from Promega for regular 1:1 discussion. They also attend larger group sessions that focus on building skills, such as scientific writing, presentation giving, exploring potential career paths, self-care and conflict resolution in the workplace.

For detailed information, please visit: D.O.O.R.S. Program (promega.com)

2024 D.O.O.R.S. SCHOLARS & MENTORS
Scholar Name Institute  Location Research Interest Promega Mentor 
Ruth Medrano Brooklyn College Brooklyn, NY We hypothesized that FGPs-expressed loxl1 could play
a role in establishing the balance of collagen and elastin in
the meninges.
Eric Vincent, Marketing – LS Genomics & Instruments
Jasmine
Freeman
Spelman College Atlanta, GA The KRAS oncogene is present among ~ 67% of
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cases,
creating the perfect target for our system to recognize. (CRISPR)
Bats Mutamba, Field Support Scientists
Alyssa Do UC San Diego San Diego, CA The Chaim Lab at UCSD, where I am currently
volunteering, is focused on researching these seven
RBPs to further understand how they interact with damaged RNA, particularly in the context of neurodegeneration.
Mailee Huynh, NA Biopharma Development Team Sales
Hyerin Kim McGill University Montreal,
Quebec
The goal of this project is to create a cholesterol-
metabolizing microorganism to use as a probiotic that
can be a preventative measure for high serum cholesterol levels. This can help lower the risk of cardiovascular
disease in those with a family history of a disease as
well as in other health-conscious individuals.
Thomas Kirkland, R&D Advanced Technologies
Mustafa Abdulkadhim York University Toronto,
Ontario
This research project, carried out at York University,
aims to explore how the direction of a user’s gaze
influences ARKit blendshape weights. These weights are crucial for adjusting virtual objects in Augmented Reality (AR) in real-time.
Daryl Nelson, NA East Sales
Allyson May University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI Our lab believes that this enzyme is a target for the
treatment of depression, as increased levels of 3B-HSD
in the gut should increase circulating estradiol and
improve symptoms of depression. 
Nadia Sadeqi, NA Canada & Great Lakes Sales
Oceane Nana Morgan State University Baltimore, MD The project’s primary objective is to assess the potential
of these organorhenium complexes as alternative
anticancer agents.
Elizabeth Smith, NA Relations Management Team Sales
Julia Forsey McGill University Montreal,
Quebec
PROTEUS, my current research project is a novel
cancer therapeutic, utilizing a CRISPR mechanistic
approach, but with a newly discovered Craspase enzyme, rather than Caspase.
Sydnor Withers, D Instrumentation – SCI
Mason Thao Medical College of
Wisconsin
Milwaukee, WI I’ve recently joined the McLellan Lab in the Department
of Ophthalmology and Visual Science where our lab
research interest is vested into investigating glaucoma,
the optical disease hallmarked by the damage or absence
of retinal ganglion cells, in both humans as well as animals. The project that I will be contributing to involves
investigating the microbead model of glaucoma with 5XFAD genetic model mice that inherit Alzheimer’s disease.
Eshwar Udho, RD Diagnostics
Lucas Lisondo University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Mayagüez,
Puerto Rico
My lab’s research goals are to raise consciousness on
our microbial source of life by initiating the search for
methods that economize the pre-treatment, hydrolysis,
and fermentation of lignocellulosic and carbohydrate
biomass.
Sofia de Leon Tobal, NA Canada & Great Lakes Sales