Damiola Christiana Lawore earned her bachelor’s degree in 2016 from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, and her master’s degree in 2021 from Western Illinois University. She currently is a PhD candidate in biomedical engineering at Purdue University, where the focus of her thesis project is the pharmacobiome — a new foundational paradigm for microbiome systems biology. She is enthusiastic about exploring ways engineering can solve medical problems and improve the health of society by focusing on conditions prevalent in underrepresented groups. Her long-term goal is to use a systems biology approach for early diagnosis of ovarian cancer. In 2022, she served as a GradTrack mentor at Purdue, where she guided and encouraged underrepresented students interested in attending graduate school. In her future classroom, Lawore will create an environment where all students feel esteemed, regarded, and empowered to contribute. She envisions teaching courses that interconnect biological science, data science, and engineering, and she will encourage students to work on multidisciplinary projects to provide them with a broader perspective and promote innovation. Inside and outside of academic circles, she will support those who encounter boundaries in pursuing engineering careers by providing resources, ensuring that voices are heard, and recommending opportunities for professional development and advancement.

Research Interests

Microbiome systems/synthetic biology & Cancer pharmacogenomics