Spencer Hayes starts his PhD journey

We are excited to announce that Spencer Hayes, who recently obtained his MS BMED (with Thesis) with us, has joined us formally as a PhD student in the GT/Emory Coulter BME PhD program. We asked Spencer about his decision to stick around for his PhD journey. Why did you choose to stay with the Quiroz Lab for your PhD research? I believe strongly in the promise and impact of the work I will be continuing, as well as the research coming out of the lab as a whole. I also feel that we are well-positioned as early adopters of our fast-growing niche, and I want to see that come to fruition. More importantly, the people in this lab have been exceptionally supportive, collaborative, and friendly, resulting in my substantial growth as a scientist which I was excited to continue. Dr. Quiroz is a one-of-a-kind PI and mentor, and my peers have fostered an environment that made the unnerving prospect of a long doctoral journey in fact quite comforting. What are you looking forward to doing outside of the lab during your time as a PhD student? Without the time crunch of my Master’s project, I look forward to taking more time to travel and visit some of my friends who have scattered across (and outside) the country. I’ve also gotten back into reading, and I want to see more live music in the near future. Otherwise, my hobbies remain mostly the same – I’ve improved at golf and play more often, though that’s unfortunately come at the expense of my softball swing. To learn more about Spencer’s background, here is what he told us back when he was a MS student in the lab.