Soumayyah Gaujee

Soumayyah Gaujee is a master's student working in the lab of Dr. Allen Place at the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology. She is originally from Mauritius, a small island nation in the Indian Ocean. She earned her B.S. in Biochemistry from Lycoming College in Pennsylvania in 2026. As an undergraduate, Soumayyah worked in Dr. Allison Saunders' lab, where she focused on the purification of β-glucosidase enzymes from Flavobacterium hibernum for biochemical assays related to biofuel research. Her current research focuses on developing ways to purify polyketide synthases (PKSs) associated with toxin production in marine dinoflagellates, including Amphidinium carterae. Her work aims to establish methods for obtaining purified PKS proteins for future biochemical and structural studies. Through this research, she hopes to better understand the proteins involved in marine algal toxin biosynthesis. She received the University of Maryland Dean's Scholarship for the 2026–2027 academic year.