Going With the Flow

If there’s one lesson that Nanda Lahiri-Mushtaq (B.S.’ 05) has taken with her since graduating from New York Tech, it’s to think outside the box. That mantra saw her through a switch in academic paths, a happy but challenging life change, and a thrilling career in research.

Lahiri-Mushtaq arrived as a freshman at New York Tech hoping to become a doctor one day; specifically, she had her sights set on the emergency room (ER) because, as she says, “Each day is different.” Circumstances beyond her control (a status change on her visa meant she would have to study medicine outside of the continental United States) led her to dismiss that dream and instead focus on research. It turned out to be a great decision. “I found I liked being in the lab,” she recalls.

After earning her undergraduate degree in life sciences, Lahiri-Mushtaq worked with Professor of Biological and Chemical Sciences Niharika Nath, Ph.D., on a research project. “She became my mentor, and that’s how I really entered research,” Lahiri-Mushtaq says.

Lahiri-Mushtaq went on to earn a master’s in immunology from Long Island University and prepared for her Ph.D. in molecular and cellular biology. Now married, she told herself she couldn’t start a family while continuing her education. In her first year of her Ph.D. studies at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, she became pregnant. “I realized I could give up [on my Ph.D.] or do both and be good at it,” Lahiri-Mushtaq says. “I spoke with mentors who said I didn’t have to be in the lab all the time; I could work on writing my papers. It was hard, but people came together for me. I had a good support system. So, I had a child and I also got my degree.”

Looking back, Lahiri-Mushtaq now sees how she put unnecessary limitations on herself. “Sometimes we’re in our heads too much,” she says.

Armed with her Ph.D. and newfound confidence, Lahiri-Mushtaq considered her next move. Here again, she thought outside the box to determine her path. She didn’t want to become a professor. Instead, she wanted to dive into research and launched a successful research career at major pharmaceutical companies, developing immunology drugs.

In the lab, Lahiri-Mushtaq found the exhilaration she had hoped to experience as an ER doctor. Each day brings the promise of new discoveries and continued promises for people with immunology-related illnesses. “There will be a treatment for them, hopefully in my lifetime,” she says. “We’re working on viable solutions.”

Lahiri-Mushtaq takes the lessons she learned in her studies and career and applies them outside of the lab. She tries to instill them in her daughter, too. “Learning is not a static process,” she says. “And you can apply that in different ways throughout your life.”

By Diane DiPiero