Uyen Bui ‘27
Accomplishments: 2026 D.O.O.R.S. Scholarship
As shared in a Brandeis Story, Uyen Bui, an undergraduate researcher in the laboratory of Alex Johnson, Assistant Professor of Biochemistry, is one of 10 students in the country who has recently been awarded a 2026 D.O.O.R.S. Scholarship. Sponsored through a collaboration between the Promega Corporation and the Biopharmaceutical Technology Center Institute (BTC Institute), the D.O.O.R.S. Scholarship recognizes students for their “academic excellence, professional promise, and a commitment to research or industry engagement.”
Uyen shared more about herself and her research in a conversation with the Brandeis Undergraduate Research and Creative Collaborations Office. Excerpts of that conversation (edited for length and clarity) follow.
URCC: Can you briefly describe your research project in Professor Johnson's lab?
Uyen Bui: Of course! In Professor Johnson's lab, we study the evolution of innate immunity and programmed cell death…For my project, I investigate how bacterial genetic systems leverage immune mechanisms to defend against bacteriophages [viruses that infect bacteria] at the molecular level. I use microbiological and biochemical techniques to study how these systems control host-pathogen interactions. This research is really exciting because it has allowed me to view immunity through a different lens, using phages, which are the most abundant biological entities on the planet.
URCC: Which courses, lecture, labs, or prior research or academic experiences prepared you for your current research project?
Uyen Bui: Microbiology and immunology… I'm actually a transfer student. I transferred into Brandeis because of its great research and very strong biochemistry curriculum. Before coming to Brandeis, I began my journey in science with a scholarship to pursue higher education in the U.S. at Dickinson College in Pennsylvania, so I didn't start [college] right away at Brandeis…Brandeis has a great science curriculum and also financial aid for international students, so that's… that's how I figured out my love for science, but also transferred to Brandeis to do research here with Professor Johnson.
URCC: Can you tell us a little bit more about your partnership with Promega through their D.O.O.R.S. Scholarship program?
Uyen Bui: Yes, of course. The D.O.O.R.S. Scholarship is a scholarship that is provided by Promega, which is a biotechnology company. Their goal is to provide student funding for research at [the student’s] institution, so this funding is not restricted to working with Promega or doing anything for Promega, but this can be used towards my tuition or my research. So, that's the starting point with Promega. They also have a great mentorship program with professionals from the biotech industry. So, for example, I have a meeting with a Promega scientist every month to talk about how I can advance in my research or talk about what kind of approach I should take in order to break into biotech if that's my interest. So, it's a really great program for me, by providing funding for my research and facilitating a mentorship program.
And lastly, they also have a D.O.O.R.S. Scholars Day. They will fly me to Madison, Wisconsin to visit the Promega campus, and I will have the opportunity to present my research. And there are 9 other D.O.O.R.S. Scholars…across the country, so I will get to meet them…on the Scholars Day, and we will be able to share our research.
URCC: Do you have anything else that you'd like to add about your experiences, either, you know, what you're doing now, what you hope to do in the future, or anything about Brandeis?
Uyen Bui: One of the things that I'm most proud of is being an international student but also trying my best to reach out to all these opportunities, so if there's one thing that I would like to tell people it is to not be afraid of reaching out for opportunities.