Biography:

Ariana obtained her bachelor’s degree in cell biology/biochemistry at Bucknell University. At Bucknell, she trained under the mentorship of Dr. Mark Haussmann, studying the effects of prenatal and acute stress on hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function, cellular aging, and organismal fitness. Through her undergraduate research, Ariana discovered her passion for biomedical research and decided to pursue a PhD in cancer biology, hoping to apply her passion for scientific research to make discoveries that can potentially save lives.

Following her graduation from Bucknell in 2020, Ariana started her PhD in the Cell and Molecular Biology: Cancer Biology program at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine. In 2021, Ariana joined Dr. Todd Ridky’s lab. Her thesis project seeks to determine whether the Y chromosome plays a role in melanoma pathobiology and contributes to the higher melanoma incidence and mortality in males. After obtaining her PhD, Ariana plans to remain in academia with the ultimate goal of becoming a principal investigator at an academic institution.