Aoife O’Farrell, BS '21
2021 Ring Ceremony Bioengineering Award Recipient: Aoife O'Farrell
2021 Ring Ceremony Bioengineering Award Recipient: Aoife O'Farrell
Aoife O’Farrell was drawn to bioengineering because of the excitement of the field; there is still so much to discover about how our bodies work, and how we can treat disease. She wanted to find ways to transfer medical discoveries from the lab to patients that need them, and had the opportunity to do so as an undergraduate researcher at the UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center.
“I am most excited by the opportunities in the field of immunoengineering - designing novel therapeutics to modulate the immune system to treat cancer and autoimmune disease. I currently work at the Moores Cancer Center, studying how immune checkpoint blockade inhibitors can best be used to treat certain types of cancer, and hope to continue similar work in the future to aid patients currently unresponsive to standard of care.”
“I am most excited by the opportunities in the field of immunoengineering - designing novel therapeutics to modulate the immune system to treat cancer and autoimmune disease. I currently work at the Moores Cancer Center, studying how immune checkpoint blockade inhibitors can best be used to treat certain types of cancer, and hope to continue similar work in the future to aid patients currently unresponsive to standard of care.”
After graduating, she’s pursuing a PhD in bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania, with funding from the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program. She plans to continue her immunoengineering and immo-oncology research, and hopes to eventually become a professor at a public university.
Aside from coursework and hands-on research with Dr. Robert Saddawi-Konefka in the Gutkind Lab at Moores, O’Farrell was involved in several organizations that helped shape her time on campus: she worked as a Campus Ambassador (tour guide) for three years; and served as an officer in both Engineers without Borders and the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES).
As the project lead for Engineers Without Borders’ Project FogCatchers, O'Farrell led a team of 15 students to develop technology to aid those without access to clear water, and authored two successful research grants to fund this work. As BMES’ Vice President External, she helped run Bioengineering Day in 2020, including a quick pivot to a virtual event, and planned the Bioengineering Career Fair in 2021.
Her advice to students is to be willing to try things that make you uncomfortable.
“It sounds cliche, but I think the best advice I can give is to say “yes” to things,” O’Farrell said. “There were a lot of times where I felt uncomfortable about jumping into something (like leading an engineering-based project team, or writing a research grant to ask for funding) but being willing to try anyways opened so many doors that I never would have experienced otherwise. There’s a lot of support on campus at UC San Diego to help with whatever it is you want to learn.”
From JSOE News, posted on June 8, 2021.
Aside from coursework and hands-on research with Dr. Robert Saddawi-Konefka in the Gutkind Lab at Moores, O’Farrell was involved in several organizations that helped shape her time on campus: she worked as a Campus Ambassador (tour guide) for three years; and served as an officer in both Engineers without Borders and the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES).
As the project lead for Engineers Without Borders’ Project FogCatchers, O'Farrell led a team of 15 students to develop technology to aid those without access to clear water, and authored two successful research grants to fund this work. As BMES’ Vice President External, she helped run Bioengineering Day in 2020, including a quick pivot to a virtual event, and planned the Bioengineering Career Fair in 2021.
Her advice to students is to be willing to try things that make you uncomfortable.
“It sounds cliche, but I think the best advice I can give is to say “yes” to things,” O’Farrell said. “There were a lot of times where I felt uncomfortable about jumping into something (like leading an engineering-based project team, or writing a research grant to ask for funding) but being willing to try anyways opened so many doors that I never would have experienced otherwise. There’s a lot of support on campus at UC San Diego to help with whatever it is you want to learn.”
From JSOE News, posted on June 8, 2021.