Congratulations to Alek Mishra on his Graduation with Honors and Departmental Distinction

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We're thrilled to celebrate Musah Lab's undergraduate researcher and a wonderful person, Alekshyander (Alek) Mishra (Class of 2025), on his graduation from Duke University! As a Pratt Research Fellow, Alek conducted undergraduate honors research in the Musah Lab from 2022 to 2025, and completed his undergraduate thesis: "Investigating Applications of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Technologies in Kidney Disease Modeling."

Alek now becomes the fourth Duke undergraduate researcher from our lab to graduate with departmental distinction, highlighting our students' excellence, creativity, and drive. His honors research focused on uncovering novel mechanisms of visceral epithelial injury in congenital kidney disease—an ambitious and high-impact project he pursued with intellectual focus and a collaborative spirit. In addition to excelling in experimental research, Alekshyander independently designed and executed computational analyses to map cell migration patterns to disease phenotypes. The rare and impressive combination of wet- and dry-lab experiences and skillset sets him apart from many of his peers and positions him well for advanced studies.

Alek is exceptionally well-prepared for the next step in his journey toward medical school and will undoubtedly be an outstanding addition to whichever program is fortunate enough to welcome him.

We are very proud of all Alek has accomplished and excited to see where his bright future leads.

Congratulations again, Alek!