Students
Student Spotlight
Tyler Ramos
Tyler entered the CMB Program in 2025 and is a student in the Bryce LaFoya Lab. Tyler’s lab studies the mechanisms of asymmetric cell division using the neural stem cell (NSC) as a model. He is interested in how differential mitochondrial inheritance satisfies the respective metabolic needs of each cell type and how this relates to the fate of both the NSC and progeny cell.
“I am grateful to have had options for graduate school the year I interviewed, and I put true effort in attending all visit days to see what each place had to offer. For me, CMB blew everyone else out of the water. The biggest factor was the apparent graduate student quality of life. Everyone I interacted with during the interview and visit day seemed like there was nowhere else they’d rather be but in CMB. It was very refreshing to meet students who actually enjoyed being in graduate school and felt supported by their program.”
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Hannah Hwang
Hannah entered the CMB Program in 2024 and is a student in Roméo Blanc lab. Her research focuses on how histone modifications regulate transcriptional pausing to preserve muscle stem cell (MuSC) quiescence and regenerative capacity.
“CMB really stood out to me because of the breadth of research in transcription and epigenetics. What ultimately drew me to CMB was how genuinely satisfied the current students seemed, both with the program and with life in Madison. That made a strong impression on me. Madison itself also felt like a very comfortable and peaceful place to live. Overall, CMB felt like a well-balanced environment, offering strong research, a supportive community, and a great living environment. I also liked how the rotation system is structured. One month is enough time to really get a sense of a lab’s culture and dynamics, but not so long that you spend too much time rotating instead of getting started.”
Anik Biswas
Anik entered the CMB Program in 2024 and is a student in the Deneen Wellik Lab. In his research, he focuses on discovering the role of Hox5 genes in lung fibroblast function in development and disease.
“I chose UW–Madison’s CMB program because of its policy prioritizing student’s holistic development. The way the program emphasizes rigorous research over coursework seemed essential for my professional development.”