What our Ph.D. students say
Current students
Ryan Zokdark - second year student
"The Philips Institute provides an outstanding environment for aspiring scientists to develop into proficient researchers. The PhD program offers flexible coursework that can be tailored to individual interests, allowing students to shape their training around their research. This flexibility, coupled with great mentorship from the faculty, creates an environment conducive for learning. Additionally, we are offered a generous stipend that allows us to focus on what matters - our research."
Maria Colon - second year student
"The Philips Institute provides a unique opportunity to combine multiple interests including cancer, microbiology, and immunology in one lab. I felt ready for a PhD, but not ready to potentially close myself off to just one of these disciplines, and through this program I was able to gain experience in all of them without having to go through further schooling after my undergraduate degree. I am incredibly happy with the diversity of projects I have the opportunity to work on; and my boss, Dr. Huizhi Wang, supports me and believes in me so much it is easy to not become discouraged. The Philips Institute as a whole is a small and supportive environment that makes it easy to get over the "imposter syndrome" that so easily plagues many PhD students. The stipend provides the added benefit of not having to worry about affording post-graduate education, and relieves financial stress that would otherwise be overwhelming and would distract from the exciting opportunities this program provides."
Ron Hill - 3rd year student
"Choosing this program has been one of the best decisions of my career. The mentorship here is outstanding. My advisor has been both supportive and challenging, pushing me to grow as an independent scientist while always providing guidance when I need it. It is a collaborative environment with experts in a variety of fields. I’ve received structured training in grant writing, which has been invaluable for preparing fellowship applications, and I’ve been encouraged to present my work at local and national conferences where I can network with leaders in the field. I also appreciate the flexibility of the curriculum, which allows me to tailor my coursework to my research interests. It's the ideal place to train to become a translational researcher."
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Colin Hawkes - 4th year student
"My experience has been extraordinary and, without reservation, I can genuinely recommend this graduate program to prospective students interested in pursuing a PhD or MS. Support, instruction, and mentorship from faculty has been excellent. The culture of collaboration, friendliness, and support fostered here has been instrumental to my growth as a scientist and success as a PhD student. Following our grant writing course I wrote and was awarded an NIH F31 award. I have been lucky enough to present my work at six different scientific conferences, including an international conference at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, and even an overseas conference in Vienna, Austria! And this was only possible thanks to funding offered from the Philips Institute. This program has given me the tools to succeed as a graduate student, and has prepared me with the professional skills and accomplishments that I will need to be successful in my next steps. I would strongly encourage prospective students to consider enrollment in our graduate program."
Recent graduates
Dr. (Puccio) Traynor (2020), Scientist III/Bioanalytical Project Manager at BioAgilytix
"My experience in the OHR PhD Program built a wonderful foundation for my career in the life sciences. My mentor, Dr. Todd Kitten, was incredibly receptive to my ideas and initiatives. He always supported my desires to present my research at conferences, write grant proposals, and learn new techniques. His mentorship, as well as the support of the entire OHR program, provided me with the skills and knowledge to succeed in my position at a contract research organization. Although I'm not currently in the field of microbiology research, I use the expertise I obtained from navigating the challenges of graduate research projects in my work every day."
Dr. Mooney (2020). Medical Device Writer and Regulatory Affairs Specialist for Digital Diagnostics a Medical Device Company
"My 4.5 years as a PhD student in this program were among the most developmental in my academic career. The experience helped shape me become a better critical thinker, writer and set the stage for a variety of different scientific career paths. Through the classes, research opportunities, my advisor and the variety of professors, I was challenged in ways that I did not know was possible. I became a better speaker, presenter and learned how to effectively communicate with a variety of different audiences. I am successful today because of the program and I always get positive feedback in my current job because of the skills I developed at VCU."
Dr. Prabhakar (2021), Assistant Professor, VCU
"The mentorship I received at VCU’s Philips Institute was deeply affirming, and the program’s curricular flexibility let me explore research that truly resonated with me. With strong support for grant writing, conferences, and career prep, I graduated feeling confident and connected, ready to step into the next chapter with clarity and purpose. More than anything, this graduate program nurtured my growth not only as a researcher, but as a person."
Dr. Kurupi (2022) Post-doc Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Oncology. Washington University Medicine
"The PhD program at VCU Philips Institute provided me with an excellent mentor, Dr. Anthony Faber. I am very interested in work on personalized medicine for subsets of genetically defined cancers. Under his guidance, I transformed from a student into an independent researcher making significant original contributions resulting in publications."
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Dr. Lohner (2024) Post-doc, VCU
"My time in the OHR PhD program afforded me the space and experiences to grow at both the professional and personal levels. My mentor Dr. Huizhi Wang provided unwavering support during my dissertation project and always found time to discuss the progress of my research. As a student, I had various opportunities to practice presenting my dissertation research through annual seminar presentations and poster presentations, which simultaneously provided awards for travel to two different international conferences. I discovered a passion for science communication which the Philips Institute allowed me to explore through extracurricular article writing and lecture teaching. Within the Philips Institute there is a unifying commitment to teamwork, scientific rigor, and the discovery of novel treatments. As a graduate of the PhD program, I feel fully prepared to enter postdoctoral positions and confident in my ability to make a difference in the dissemination of science to widespread audiences."