Deepshikha Ananthaswamy

Deepshikha Ananthaswamy ’22, ’24 comes from a “left-brained” family.

Surrounded by a family of engineers, Ananthaswamy says dinner was often filled with “all the jargon” associated with software.

“Logic has always been big in my family,” she says. “But what really fascinates me is applying that logic to biology.”

Ananthaswamy’s passion for biology evolved as she took science classes in her hometown of Bengaluru, India. She immigrated to North Andover, Massachusetts, in the ninth grade and knew she wanted to go to college to study biology. UMass Lowell piqued Ananthaswamy’s interest because of the university’s commitment to research.

“I went to Accepted Students Day, and that really convinced me to join,” she says. “You get a feeling when something’s right, and that was invoked in me. People are friendly, and I love the atmosphere at UMass Lowell.”

As a biological sciences major with an option in biotechnology, Ananthaswamy looked forward to working in research labs. During her senior year, she joined the lab of Biological Sciences Asst. Prof. Teresa Lee, where she studied how changes in DNA packaging protect cells from damage, which can lead to cancer and infertility.

“It was fantastic getting this research experience,” she says. “I knew it would make me competitive going into the workforce.”

Ananthaswamy decided to stay at UMass Lowell for a master’s degree in biological sciences with a biotechnology option while continuing to conduct research in Lee’s lab. Ananthaswamy has presented the research at multiple conferences and won the award for best graduate student poster presentation at the 2024 Society for Developmental Biology Northeast Regional Meeting in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.

“It was very gratifying,” says Ananthaswamy, who is working toward getting the research published in scientific journals.

The summer before Ananthaswamy’s senior year, she landed an internship with CuriRX, a biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Wilmington, Massachusetts. 

“Between the internship and research in an academic lab, it helped me solidify the kind of job that I want,” says Ananthaswamy, whose goal is to be a research scientist for a biotechnology company.

At UMass Lowell, Ananthaswamy discovered a sense of belonging on campus.

“I really got involved at UMass Lowell because when I started high school in the United States, I felt like I had no community,” she says. “It was really the cultural aspect that I was missing.”

Ananthaswamy and her friends founded the South Asian Student Association at UML, in which they would host henna nights and cultural dances. 

“That was an amazing experience,” says Ananthaswamy, who also helped other cultural clubs on campus as a peer liaison for the Office of Multicultural Affairs.

With a love for mentoring, Ananthaswamy served as an organic chemistry tutor and resident advisor.

“It was another way of me building community,” she says. “I really am an empath, so I enjoy hearing people’s stories and trying to help them out.”

Ananthaswamy plans on showcasing her empathy in the workforce.

“I’m in a very exploratory phase in my career,” she says. “A few years down the line, I want to lead a team and mentor people, helping them move up the ranks.”