Madeline Merlino joins the lab!

We are so excited to welcome Madeline from the MVP program in the Cell and Molecular Biology graduate group to the lab! Madeline received her bachelors degree from the University of Michigan before starting at Penn. We are so lucky to welcome her to the group!

Learn more about Madeline

Where are you from? I grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and lived there for my entire life before moving to Philadelphia for grad school. Michigan is a beautiful state, and I highly recommend everyone visit! Growing up in Ann Arbor and attending the University of Michigan turned me into a die-hard Michigan athletics fan. Go Blue!

What’s on your in the zone playlist? My in-the-zone playlist generally includes anything that makes me want to dance! Some current favorites on the playlist are Dua Lipa, Lizzo, Megan Thee Stallion, Drake, and Bad Bunny. It’s a good mix to get me hype for a workout or even for going to lab. When I need to focus for an exam, I also have an in-the-zone study playlist that is entirely classical music and movie scores from modern composers.

Why Microbiology? Microbiology is a great way to study the tremendous world around us. Viruses, bacteria, and microorganisms are truly everywhere. It’s amazing that there is still so much unknown- only a small fraction of all viruses have been identified and characterized! As microbiologists, it is our job to study these in the event that a particular virus is pathogenic. This allows us to ask meaningful questions, and understand how viruses and microorganisms interact with the human body. In this way, microbiology has direct ties to medicine and public health, and I love the boundless potential of the field.