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It's hard to believe that 11 weeks have already gone by, and I'm at the end of this amazing journey. I've been rushing to complete this part of my project, but the hardest part has saying goodbye to my mentors and new friends.

After finishing up in the lab, I really wanted to take the weekend slowly. So, I took the TGV to Reims, where I could tour the countryside. With picturesque vineyards and wineries, I felt relaxed and content with all that we've accomplished this summer.

I'll definitely miss Paris, and the entire LPBA team at Pasteur. Special thanks to Carolina (pictured above), for being a patient mentor and friend! I'm extremely grateful to everyone who made this journey possible, and I'm excited to continue this collaboration in the coming months.

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I took this picture on my last day in Bristol, on a final walk by the harbour with my roommate! The harbourside is one of my favorite areas of Bristol, it's a perfect spot to grab lunch, go for a run, or for afternoon strolls like pictured here, and is definetely something I'll miss in Arizona. 

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It's hard to believe my time in Bristol has already come to an end! These last few weeks have been a blur, between wrapping up my research project and saying goodbyes to my labmates and friends I've made in Bristol—time has flown by so fast.

For my last day in Bristol, after finishing up in the lab, I went on a walk throughout the city—which, like typical moody English weather, started in pouring rain but ended with clear blue skies. As I passed by all of my favorite spots in Bristol for the last time (this summer, at least), I remember the uncertainty and fear I faced when I first arrived in the city. I still can't believe how much things have changed throughout the summer, where Bristol now feels much more like home.

I'll forever be grateful for all of the friends, memories, and experiences that being in Bristol this summer has offerred to me. Both in terms of my research and personally, this summer has truly been one of the most formative experiences of my life.

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A view of the outside of Trinity College at Cambridge! 

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A few weekends ago, I had the opportunity to visit a fellow UofA student who is conducting research over the summer at the University of Cambridge! I had so much fun exploring the university's beautiful colleges and the museums and cafes throughout the city of Cambridge. Thanks to my friend, I was also lucky enough to get a chance to eat in one of Cambridge's dining halls—which I can confirm may have a slight edge over the UofA's dining halls.

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It's hard to believe I only have 2 more weeks left in Paris! Because of this, I'm rushing to see the main attractions that the city has to offer. This past weekend, I took the train to Versailles, and spent the afternoon touring the palace and gardens. I particularly enjoyed le Grand Trianon, which is a side palace with its own gardens around it. Because it's a bit farther away from the main gardens, it's a bit more rugged and natural, which I liked.

Many Parisians, especially at Pasteur, are taking their vacation this month, so I've had to say some goodbyes over the past week. It's much less busy on campus, and I will definitely miss working with the LPBA team!

I'm nearing the end of our planned project, with a few set of final assays and RNA extractions before I head back to Tucson. I am glad that this ties into my Honors Thesis, so I can continue the same work and consulting Dr. Dupuy even once I return.

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Polaroid of the Sheiner and Harding labs

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My fellow American labmate hosted a potluck-style gathering to celebrate the couple of us who are leaving the lab at the end of summer. Back in June, I bought a kilo of Mejdool dates (I was unaware of how much this was at the time), so I had a surplus to transform into a sweet treat: I stuffed the dates generously with pistachio cream, dipped them in chocolate, and sprinkled chopped hazelnuts on top. This potluck was the perfect way to spend my last night in Glasgow—surrounded by good people and good food. There’s no doubt that the friendliness of my labmates is what eased my transition to Glasgow and made coming into work every day such a joy. I will always be thankful to my labmates, the friends I met in Glasgow, and the sponsors of this program for what has undeniably been the best summer of my life. ❤️

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Looking out at Goatfell from Arran's beach!

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On the rare occasion when it’s warm and sunny in Glasgow, I try to spend most of the day outside. This time, I took a train to Troon, a quaint seaside town, and from there, hopped on a ferry to the Isle of Arran. Scotland’s isles are known for their stunning landscapes, and I wanted to visit at least one this summer! Arran was just as lovely as I was hoping it to be. I browsed some local shops, toured Brodick Castle, and hiked a bit of Arran’s highest peak, Goatfell, before returning back to the beach to enjoy a cup of delicious Arran Ice Cream (best strawberry ice cream I’ve ever had) by the brilliant blue waters of the ocean.

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During a visit to the coastal town of Kinsale, I had the opportunity to tour Charles Fort. The star-shaped structure offered a fascinating look at military engineering and the daily realities of life inside its walls. Moats, as I learned, are often dry—not filled with water as they're typically portrayed. The earth dug out during their construction was packed against the stone walls to reinforce them, absorbing shock from cannon fire and prolonging the fort’s structural integrity.

The tour also touched on the lived experiences of soldiers stationed at the fort. Conditions were harsh, and nearly 40% of the British Army at one point was composed of Irish soldiers—many of whom enlisted out of economic necessity. Military service provided consistent food, pay (though very little), and a rare opportunity to travel. One part of the tour that stood out highlighted women who enlisted in disguise, serving for years before being discovered. In one narrative, a man accidentally enlisted while drunk, and his wife disguised herself as a man to find out what happened to her husband. In another narrative, a woman disguised herself as a man to circumvent the barriers against women to receiving medical training. Their stories raised complex questions about survival, identity, and participation in systems of power.

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Electrostatic potential (ESP) map of geranic acid.

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After weeks of trial, error, and a lot of tinkering with computational tools, I'm so excited to share a big step forward in my research! The image above is an ESP (electrostatic potential) map of geranic acid—just one piece of the puzzle in my broader DFT calculations and molecular dynamics simulations, but one that took a surprising amount of work to get right.

Getting here involved learning how to run Gaussian experiments on the MeluXina supercomputer (a process that definitely tested my patience and problem-solving skills), troubleshooting permission issues that made it tricky to transfer and analyze data, and juggling several new pieces of software—each with its own coding language. I even had to reconfigure my own laptop to install the necessary data-analysis tools.

I’ll admit, I felt guilty for how long everything was taking. But now that I’ve overcome this hurdle, I can see just how much I’ve learned along the way—not only about DFT and computational chemistry, but also about resilience and how to troubleshoot in high-performance computing environments without having training in coding or computer science. I may not fully grasp the math behind every step (yet!), but I’m miles ahead of where I started and excited to pick up speed moving forward.

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Over a packed two days in London, I tried to take in as much of the city as possible—walking through gardens, gazing out over the Thames from the Eye of London, and exploring landmarks like the Tower of London and the British Museum. While the museum holds an incredible collection, I couldn’t help but reflect on the complicated legacy of imperialism embedded in its walls. Seeing the Rosetta Stone, statues from the Parthenon, and sacred artifacts from South Asia was both awe-inspiring and unsettling, especially knowing many of these pieces remain in the UK despite formal repatriation requests.

One of the most powerful moments of the trip was seeing The Crucible by Arthur Miller on its final day at Shakespeare’s Globe. The performance felt especially resonant given the current political climate in the U.S.—a timely reminder of how fear and rhetoric can lead to the erosion of rights and unjust persecution.

Most meaningful of all was getting to reconnect with family. I was able to spend time with my granduncle, who lives just outside the city, and with my grandfather—both of whom I rarely get to see. Sharing this experience with them added a deeply personal layer to an already unforgettable trip.

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A picture of Paris from the top of the Pompidou center. The Eiffel tower is to the left. On the right is the Olympic Cauldron, floating next to the ferris wheel.

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To be a tourist, or not to be a tourist...

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To be a tourist, or not to be a tourist...

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Paris is hard, because I must find the balance between being the typical 'tourist' and finding time to enjoy the city like a local. Since I'm busy during the day, I can only do a few things at night. I like to take this time to explore new restaurants, and of course there is no shortage of those! I'm planning more museums trips and expanding my horizon, and I need to do a better job of that over the next few weeks.

My research has been going well. I recently repeated the standard biofilm experiments to get more biological replicates. This allows us to get a better understanding of how our regulator protein controls biofilm in different contexts. Next, we are testing different biological inducers, including many molecules found in the gut that may 'precipitate' biofilm formation. The process of biofilm is incredibly complex, as by creating an extracellular matrix, it can be taxing to the cell. However, it also protects the cell against bile acids and antibiotic treatment. Thus, different molecules can induce or inhibit biofilm formation, and understanding the genetic regulation behind it is vital to addressing recurrent C. difficile infections. I'll keep moving forward, one step at a time.

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A picture at the Giant's Causeway, just outside of the city in Belfast. Scientifically, the rocks naturally formed into beautiful hexagonal columns due to volcanic activity followed by a period of cooling, allowing for the creation of interlocking basalt columns. However, the name of the site ties it to its folklore. The legend follows an Irish giant, Finn McCool, and a Scottish giant, Benandonner, taunting each other across the sea. One day, Finn McCool decided to build a bridge to face Benandonner, but he quickly realized that Benandonner was a much larger giant, so Finn retreated and told his wife Oonagh of the problem. Hearing Benandonner approaching, Oonagh cleverly problem solved and told Finn to get in the crib. When Benandonner arrived, Oonagh greeted him and invited him for tea. When Benandonner spotted the giant in the crib, he asked Oonagh what was going on, and she said, "Haven't you heard, I just had a baby! He's only six months old." Upon hearing this, Benandonner went running back to Scotland, fearing how big Finn McCool could be, if his young son was that large.

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I had a hard time choosing just one photo from my time in Belfast—there were so many things I genuinely loved about the city. One of the highlights was the Titanic Museum. I thought I might be tired of Titanic-themed attractions by now, but this one really stood out. It didn’t just focus on the ship—it gave rich context about Belfast and Ireland in the years leading up to the Titanic’s construction, and it illuminated key points in which Ireland and the US's histories intertwined. The museum even had a ride that took you through what working conditions were like for the shipbuilders on the docks.

I also spent time at the Ulster Museum learning about the Troubles. I went in knowing very little, and left with a much better understanding, thanks to how thoughtfully the museum incorporated firsthand accounts and personal stories. It captured the tension and complexity of the conflict in a way that felt personal and grounded in lived experience.

The Botanic Gardens were another favorite stop—especially the Global Medicinal Garden. It featured plants used in traditional medicine around the world, organized by continent, and included background on how they’ve been used historically and developed into drugs we're more familiar with now. It reminded me of a pharmacognosy course I loved taking last semester.

While exploring the city, I noticed an art exhibit series called Biosphere, which definitely made me miss home a bit. One exhibit focused on the legacy of Monsanto in both the U.S. and Vietnam. It traced everything from their role in producing Agent Orange to the impacts of glyphosate and how the company’s influence has shaped regulatory loopholes and market monopolies. It also raised concerns about the ethics of requiring farmers to buy GMO seeds annually—not because GMOs are inherently dangerous, but because of the control this system gives to corporations. It reminded me of similar struggles involving DuPont and farmers in southern Ohio, and tied in closely with my broader interests in bioethics and corporate accountability.

From industrial history to medical gardens to global activism, the city wove together a surprising number of threads from different parts of my academic and personal life.

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A picture of the Willis Memorial Building at the University of Bristol! The building is home to several student spaces, a museum and art gallery, and a gorgeous library that I'll sometimes stop by in on the weekends when I'm looking to get extra work done. 

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As a break from the touristy posts, here is a little bit of a research update on my project! In the Donoghue-Pisani group at the University of Bristol, my project centers around establishing a chronology of trait evolution in ancient archaea. Our goal behind this project is to get a better understanding of what kinds of biological traits might have been present in the earliest, most basic forms of life (known as the Last Universal Common Ancestor, or LUCA), and what traits evolved later down the line as life diversified into the main Archaeal and Bacterial (and eventually, Eukaryotic) domains of life that we know today.

To do this, my project involves constructing phylogenetic trees of different genes from sequence data to try to get a sense of their evolutionary histories. I spent the first few weeks of my project constructing these gene trees, and looking for instances of ancient archaeal duplications, where we see two copies of a gene present in the same species. Duplication events often indicate functional innovation, and can be helpful in dating phylogenetic trees. This is because duplication events are further from the root of phylogenetic tree, and thus involves less uncertainty when estimating dates.

The first half of my time in Bristol was spent mostly identifying phylogenetic gene trees with duplication events, and preparing the programming pipeline used to infer the times of duplication events. With the pipeline now working, I’m now aiming to take a closer look at the genes with duplication events that we’ve selected from a biochemical perspective - which will help us understand whether functional innovation occurred as a result of the duplication, and start to piece together a chronology of how biological traits-such as thermophily, genome organization, and membrane construction-took shape in early Archaea.

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A few weekends ago, I travelled to the capital city of Scotland, Edinburgh! I visited Surgeons’ Hall Museum (home of one of the largest pathology collections in the world), Blackwell’s (Edinburgh's oldest bookshop), and, of course, Edinburgh Castle (pictured above). Edinburgh has an older feel to it than Glasgow—walking on the cobbled footpaths while looking up at the towering stone buildings made me think that I was walking through an ancient city, frozen in time. Because Edinburgh is located close to Glasgow—only a 1.5 hour train ride away—I hope to visit again, perhaps in August, during Edinburgh’s famous Fringe festival.

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HA-tagged ATPTG14 localizing to the mitochondrial inner membrane of Toxoplasma gondii. 

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The Sheiner lab works on the mitochondrion of Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite that has infected up to one-third of the world’s population, but has no effective drug treatment or vaccine. My project is focused on ATPTG14, a protein subunit of T. gondii ATP synthase, which is a larger protein embedded in the inner mitochondrial membrane that plays a key role in ATP production. We would like to characterize this subunit to understand how it interacts with the greater ATP synthase protein and other metabolic pathways in T. gondii. Because ATP synthase is both conserved in and specific to the family Apicomplexa, this research could help inform drug discovery of molecules that can effectively target Apicomplexan parasites while reducing harm to the human host.

So far, my work in the lab has involved using CRISPR/Cas9 to genetically manipulate parasites. We aim to create two strains: 1) a genetic knockdown of ATPTG14 (to understand how the parasites behave when they lack this protein) and 2) an HA-tagged strain. An HA tag on ATPTG14 will allow us to stain against it and visualize whether ATPTG14 exists in the T. gondii mitochondrial inner membrane (as predicted) and if so, where exactly in the membrane it localizes to. The image pictured above depicts HA-tagged ATPTG14 (in red) localizing perfectly to the inner membrane of a parasite’s mitochondrion. I have never done microscopy in this manner before, so this was quite exciting to me! Later in July, we plan to image the parasites using super-resolution microscopy, which will yield cleaner images, so I’m excited for that as well!

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June 21 was Fete de la Musique, a massive music event across Paris with free concerts, performances, and parties. Being here for this event was incredible, since it is made for locals and tourists, and is more authentic than the generic tourist things. I was able to attend a Midsommer festival at the Swedish Institut. Then, my housing at Cite Universitaire hosted a late night concert with a light show, which was great! The entire city turned into a party, and there were people having mini concerts at every corner, and even in the canals of the Seine. Seeing the happiness of Parisians was truly amazing.

In the lab, I've gotten more comfortable with the main techniques I am using this summer. I'm studying the genetic regulation that underlies C. difficile biofilm formation, which leads to a high recurrence of infection for patients. I am performing biofilm assays each week, and now I feel much more confident in these skills and my ability to scale up over the next few weeks. Pasteur is a great environment because everyone here is interested in each others' research and leads with kindness. All in all, I'm having a great time.

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This weekend, I took a 30-minute train ride from Cork to Cobh (pronounced “cove”), a quiet seaside town with a striking history. It was the final port of call for the Titanic, and visiting the Titanic Experience Museum gave me a deeper understanding of the ship’s Irish legacy. I learned about the Addergoole 14—a group of passengers from a small village in County Mayo, many of whom had never left their town before. After the famine left their community devastated, they boarded the Titanic in search of opportunity and a future beyond Ireland. Their story was moving—not just because of what happened next, but because of the resilience it took to leave home with hope.

After the museum, I spent the afternoon walking along the harbor and winding through Cobh’s colorful streets. It’s hard to imagine such a quiet town as the launch point of so many life-changing journeys. It was also, incidentally, the first week of actual sunshine I’ve seen since arriving in Ireland. I’m not saying the sun was waiting for Cobh—but I’m not ruling it out either.

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When I first saw the statue of Oscar Wilde and Eduard Vilde in Eyre Square, Galway, I was mostly thinking about how much I loved reading The Importance of Being Earnest and The Picture of Dorian Gray—and how hard it was raining (my hood was pulled so tight you can barely see my face in the photo). I didn’t realize then how fitting the statue would become to my experience here. The fact that this monument was a gift from Estonia when it joined the EU says so much about Ireland’s welcoming spirit and the deep, reciprocal ties it shares with other nations. That openness has shown up in unexpected ways throughout my time here—from the friendships I’ve made to the cultures I’ve been invited into. One of the most surprising and joyful parts of my experience has been getting pulled into Brazilian culture through Giovana, a master’s student in my lab. With her, I got to dance Forró and eat traditional foods at a Festa Junina celebration—something I never would’ve expected when I arrived. Looking back, that rainy statue now feels like the perfect symbol for my time in Ireland: full of literature, connection, warmth, and a whole lot of weather.

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One of my favorite spots in Bristol is Brandon Hill. Atop the hill sits Cabot Tower, where after trekking up a (rather cramped) spiral staircase, you're greeted with a lovely view of Bristol. Brandon Hill is tucked away just off the Bristol city centre, making it the perfect getaway from the bustle of the city. It's become one of my my favorite places to take a stroll around or to curl up with a good book after finishing up in the lab.

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Scotland is perhaps most famous for its adorable Highland cows! I visited Pollok Park, Glasgow’s largest park, and spent a few hours strolling along the river, admiring the greenery, and interacting with the cows. It is also currently calving season, so I was fortunate enough to see some baby cows! I find myself spending a lot of time in Glasgow’s sprawling parks, since I will definitely miss this greenery when I’m back in Tucson.

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My first 2 weeks in Paris have been great! It's taken some adjustment (like knowing which Metro stops to take at certain times of day to avoid being packed like a sardine), but I definitely think Paris is worth the visit. I've had the opportunity to visit the Louvre twice, and I still haven't seen the Mona Lisa. Paris is meant to be taken in slowly, so I'm glad to have the opportunity to do just that over the next couple of months!

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Over the weekend, I took the bus up to a nearby city named Bath—which was filled with beautiful scenery and loads of interesting history. Bath is named for the Roman bath that lies in the center of the city, which is believed to have been built in 60-70 AD and has been well preserved up until now. Bath is also famous for being the home of Jane Austen, and for being a filming site for films/tv like Bridgerton and Les Miserables. Pictured here is the Palladian Bridge (apparently one of only four in the world) at Prior Park, where I spent the afternoon exploring and enjoying the beautiful greenery.

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A view of the Museum's organ and its incredible architecture! 

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A visit to Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum

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A visit to Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum

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Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum boasts 22 galleries full of historical artefacts, ancient armour, natural history collections, famous artworks—and is even a piece of architectural art in itself, as (hopefully) this picture shows. It is also completely free to visit! I spent a few hours wandering the museum and listening to a live organ performance (which is something I’ve never experienced before). Of most interest to me was learning about the Glasgow Four, a group of artists that pioneered Art Nouveau in the city, helping shape the distinct Glasgow Style. I have found myself appreciating the city’s artistic quirks so much more now that I understand the history behind them!

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I am incredibly excited to travel to Dr. Lilach Sheiner’s lab at the University of Glasgow this summer! I will be investigating proteins involved in mitochondrial function in Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite that I have been researching as part of Dr. Anita Koshy’s lab here at the University of Arizona. I also look forward to exploring Scottish castles, visiting the infamous Loch Ness, and traveling around the UK.

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Hello! My name is Nandini Manepalli and I am a sophomore majoring in Molecular and Cellular Biology. This summer, I'll be traveling to Bristol, UK to study the chronology of trait evolution in ancient Archaea. I'm excited to meet the research team and my mentors at Bristol in person, and to explore all of the coffee shops, museums, and other monuments that Bristol has to offer!

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I'm thrilled to expand on my UBRP project through hands-on experience with advanced experimental techniques like porcine skin permeability studies and designing molecular dynamics simulations. Working with Dr. Verma offers an incredible opportunity to learn from a different perspective on pharmaceutical sciences, pushing me to challenge how I think as a researcher. I'm also excited to explore how Ireland's unique regulatory environment shapes the approach to optimizing drug delivery.

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Hi, I’m Bhargav! I will be a part of the BRAVO! program in 2025, where I will work at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, France. I am excited to learn a new language, live in a new and multicultural city, and explore the excellent food in the region. I am also excited to meet other motivated researchers and students throughout this journey!