Madison Fusco

Madison Fusco isn’t taking coffee orders as a co-op at Wave Life Sciences in Lexington, Massachusetts. She’s in the lab, gaining hands-on experience in the biotechnology industry.

“What I’m doing in this co-op is actually impacting people,” says the honors biological sciences major from Wilmington, Massachusetts. “I wanted to be in an industry where I felt like I was doing something good on a daily basis, and with this co-op, I’m helping make a difference.”

Wave Life Sciences is a biotechnology company pioneering RNA medicines to combat diseases such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy and Huntington’s disease. Fusco began her six-month co-op at the company in the summer following her junior year and quickly found herself in the lab, working with oligonucleotides, or short strands of RNA. Her work plays a role in finding treatments for both rare and prevalent disorders.

Fusco initially questioned if she had the qualifications necessary for the co-op at Wave Life Sciences, but felt motivated to apply thanks to encouragement from the Career & Co-op Center, which gave her résumé and job-searching advice. During an interview with Wave Life Sciences, Fusco realized she already had the skills required for the co-op because of her courses at UMass Lowell.

“They asked me questions about working in a lab, and I could answer them so easily, because I had learned those skills in my classes,” she says. “People need to have more confidence in themselves, and I 100% realized that after I applied and got the co-op.”

Fusco says biochemistry with Biological Sciences Assoc. Teaching Prof. Ekaterina Zagriadskaia and genetics with Biological Sciences Asst. Teaching Prof. Sarah Rozelle were pivotal in preparing her for the co-op.

“I learned this formula in biochemistry for concentration and volume, and I wondered how often I would use it. Now at Wave, I’m using it every single day,” she says. “The classes you take at UMass Lowell set you up for success when you go out into the field.”

For Fusco, getting a co-op while in college was imperative. She previously completed a co-op with Analog Devices in Wilmington while attending Shawsheen Valley Technical High School in Billerica, Massachusetts.

“I know how beneficial it is to have fieldwork under your belt when you go to apply for jobs,” she says. “It’s one thing to sit in a classroom and learn, but it’s a whole other experience to take that knowledge and physically do something with it.”

Fusco says she gravitated toward UMass Lowell due to its strong research focus, which provides many hands-on opportunities for students. Once she finishes her co-op, she intends to gain experience working in a research laboratory on campus.

In the future, Fusco plans to either continue doing gene-related research in a laboratory setting or go to medical school to become a cardiologist or a neurologist — after witnessing heart and neurological issues among family and friends.

“What I am learning at UMass Lowell is benefiting me for whatever career path I choose,” she says.