Varun Gambhir

Major: biology bs
minor: history 
senior

I am a senior student majoring in biology on the interdisciplinary track along with a minor in history, with hopes to one day go to graduate school to study Cellular Biology. I was a member of the 2024 Stony Brook iGEM team, a student-led synthetic biology research program composed of 15 members who work throughout the summer on a research project developed by themselves. Our team created a biosensor for B.cell Lymphoma using E.coli bacteria, which led to the team winning a gold medal at the iGEM jamboree in Paris. As a member of the 2024 team, I helped select members of the following year's team, and am currently advising them on their research project.

Furthermore, I helped found the Ecology and Evolution society, a club that promotes ecological awareness and literacy on evolutionary biology topics on campus. As President, I help organize weekly general body meetings, which include guest speakers from the Department of Ecology and Evolution, game nights, campus nature walks, and environmental clean-ups. Currently, I am the  vice president of the Asian Students Alliance (ASA), a cultural organization which aims to provide community, fellowship, and a network for Asian and Asian American communities and organizations within and outside of our club, via fundraisers, presentations, and events. In addition, I am also a current student researcher at Stony Brook Medicine, studying Polycystic Kidney Disease at the Division of Nephrology. I volunteer as a PEER Assistant Leader (PAL), where I help in the orientation of incoming first year and transfer students, helping them acclimate and easily transition into our campus community through orientation programming and mentorship. In the past, I have received honors via the URECA poster symposium for my team’s iGEM project, as well as an award by the Mattoo Center for India studies, where I placed fourth in a photo and essay competition for my piece on my identity as a South Asian American.