Student Spotlight: Bioengineering Senior Undergraduate Prepares for Future in Cancer Research

For bioengineering student Leah Ju, Illinois runs in the family. Her parents met at the university when they were students, and both Leah and her brother decided to follow in their footsteps. Having just returned for her senior year, Leah is one step closer to joining them as an alumna as she nears the completion of her bachelor’s degree.

But while many of her peers are looking forward to the finish line, Leah is gearing up to apply to Ph. D. programs in biomedical engineering. With her experience in the Cancer Center at Illinois’ (CCIL) Cancer Scholars Program (CSP), she looks towards a future career in cancer research.

Leah’s love of learning and natural inquisitive tendencies began when she was young. “In my early years, I was always one of those weird kids who loved school. I loved learning about different things, and I loved talking to teachers and asking questions,” said Leah. “I was super interested in everything. I wanted to be a librarian, an astronaut, a teacher, and a professional ice skater.”

When she discovered her passion for science in middle school, Leah never looked back. In a fifth-grade biology class, she learned about cells and organelles for the first time, initiating her desire to understand how and why the body works. This led her to participate in a middle school summer class on introductory biomedicine, which exposed her to the basic principles of cancer biology and the global burden of cancer.

“I found it to be such a fascinating field, and something that I would love to be a part of in the future. So, it was always in the back of my mind coming into high school,” Leah said. “When the opportunity arose to participate in an independent research class in high school, I decided to give it a try. I credit that class with cementing my interest in pursuing a career in research.”

When it became time to make her college decision, Leah decided to attend Illinois for bioengineering because she wanted to challenge herself and liked the problem-solving focus of engineering. A big selling point for choosing Illinois was the CSP.

“I really hadn’t seen any other cancer-focused opportunities for undergraduates at other universities. I thought it was cool that the CCIL was doing amazing research and giving students opportunities to become more involved in the cancer community,” said Leah.

Through the CSP, Leah joined bioengineering professor and CCIL member Joseph Irudayaraj’s research group where she is involved in developing oxygen-based drug delivery systems to alleviate tissue hypoxia. This research experience, coupled with her coursework, sparked her excitement for nanomedicine and therapeutic design, which she plans to further explore in graduate school.

But beyond her classes and laboratory experience, the CSP has given her valuable insight for her future career as a researcher. “Through the CSP, we were invited to listen to a panel of breast cancer survivors speak about their experiences- not just the physical and medical aspects, but also the emotional,” said Leah.

“Hearing about their journeys helped me realize it’s important to remember that while we’re doing all this cool science and innovation, there are real people at the center of our research who can benefit from these technologies. I think having that connection with the cancer community is something that has made my experience meaningful.”