Michael Zakariaie

Aspiring to make significant contributions to the field of medicine has led Michael to major in Bioengineering/Bioinformatics at UC San Diego. The Sixth College student is particularly interested in contributing to research in gene therapy and precision medicine through bioengineering. “These fields of medicine have the potential to increase the quality of life of patients with diseases that currently lack effective treatments, such as many forms of cancer.” Through one internship, Michael was responsible for programming machine learning algorithms, with the purpose of sequencing a human genome faster and cheaper than is currently possible. “I utilized my time there to improve my technical skills while contributing to meaningful research.” His other research lab produced similar gratification, “I greatly enjoyed the biomechatronic research because I contributed to a project that has a large potential to make many surgeries more affordable and effective.”

An integral part of Michael’s life is sports which provides balance. “As a member of the UC San Diego Cycling Team, I engage in training most days and had competed several times per month prior to the pandemic. Cycling has become a recreational hiatus from the stresses of academia; I particularly enjoy long solo rides along the shoreline.

Another favorite pastime for Michael is traveling. He spent a month backpacking across parts of Europe with a group of close friends before the pandemic. “One of my favorite places we visited was the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva where the Higgs Boson was found. It is one of the unique aspects about different cultures that makes me enjoy traveling so much.”

Following his undergraduate degree, Michael plans to go to graduate school, possibly to pursue both research and the treatment of disease. “Whichever path I choose, I hope to be able to help others through my research, as well as direct pro bono work to help underprivileged communities.”