Her Story
About Durga
Durga Arvapalli is a scientist with expertise in molecular biology, cancer research, biotechnology, and molecular genetics. With more than five and a half years of experience in her field, including five years in her current role, she focuses on work with cancer cells and related scientific advancements. She earned her bachelor's degree in biotechnology in India before moving to the United States, followed by a master's degree in biology from North Carolina Agriculture and Technical State University, where she graduated with a 4.0 GPA and received the David Dowdy Scholarship. She then completed her PhD in nanoscience at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, during which she received the Scientific Excellence Award twice and was a finalist in the 3-minute thesis competition. A key professional achievement is her patent in single-cell multiomics, filed in 2022, which supports earlier diagnosis of diseases such as cancer.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Durga
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would say first to my family, my husband, and my in-laws, and then the great mentors I came across. And there are a few other peers when I was doing my PhD, they were like awesome. And my mentors in the industry were also good. I used to work for a startup company, and I used to see the CEO working in the lab really motivated me.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Be yourself. What interests that you have in science? That keeps you moving forward, so always look out for like people who are suffering, and think about what you can do with the knowledge you gained from here and apply in the real world, so they can feel I mean so that you can make their lives better.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say keep going forward. Life would be tougher, a little bit more toughest. But keep trying every day. It's hard for people right now, but it's more harder for the women because they have a lot of responsibilities, mainly if they're married and have kids.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I feel funding is one of the things in the industry... we need even more and more directors who invest in the startup companies because they have really cool ideas. If they support it, that would be awesome, and it turns into some life-changing things for many people who are suffering right now.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Scientific integrity is what I would say first. And accountability, and being true to yourself before you help the world. That's what keeps you going, is what I believe in.
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