Sreya Sanyal

Sreya Sanyal (She/They/Theirs) has been a STEM Content Contributor at Research Girl, Inc. since November of 2024. Their current scholarly research, and content contributions to Research Girl, Inc., focus on pre-MD/PhD guidance for students.

About

Pronouns: She/They/Theirs​​

Languages: English, Bengali

​

Biographical Sketch:

Sreya Sanyal grew up in New Jersey and graduated magna cum laude from the Albert Dorman Honors College at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) with a BA in Biology and History on the Medical Humanities Honors Track.

​

During their time at NJIT, Sreya worked in Dr. Vivek Kumar's research lab focused on various translational research projects, including developing a peptide to block proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) for lowering low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. For this work, in 2021, they were recognized as a Barry Goldwater Scholar. Altogether during their time at NJIT, they achieved more than $18,000 in awarded grants and fellowships.

​

After graduation, during the summer of 2022, Sreya joined the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as an Intramural Research Training Award (IRTA) Fellow under Dr. Thomas Bugge, Senior Investigator, Proteases and Tissue Remodeling Section, NIH National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR). At NIDCR, they studied anthrax toxin variants for cancer therapeutics, employing cutting-edge techniques such as single-cell ribonucleic acid (RNA) sequencing (scRNAseq) and confocal microscopy.

​

Currently an MD/PhD student at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS), Sreya has contributed to clinical research on gastrointestinal (GI) cancers, exploring recurrence-free survival (RFS) dynamics in patients receiving surgery versus adjuvant chemotherapy. They are passionate about integrating research, clinical care, and advocacy to improve patient outcomes, particularly in oncology.

​

Outside of the hospital and lab, Sreya is a dedicated mentor and advocate, having founded the Saswati Gupta Cancer Research Charity in honor of their late mother, to support women in STEM. They are a trained soprano and active in a cappella groups, and enjoy cooking, hiking, and embroidery.​

​

Grants and Fellowships:

• Grantee, National Science Foundation (NSF) I-Corps Northeast Hub Grant, NJIT, $3,000.00, 2021 (Research Focus: Peripheral Artery Disease)

• Second Prize, Dr. James F. Stevenson Innovation Award, NJIT, $750.00, 2021 (Research Focus: COVID–19)

• Fellow, Provost Undergraduate Research and Innovation (URI) Summer Fellowship Program, NJIT, $3,000.00, 2021 (Research Focus: COVID–19)

• Grantee, Undergraduate Research and Innovation (URI) Student Seed Grant, NJIT, $500.00, 2020

• Grantee, National Science Foundation (NSF) I-Corps Northeast Hub Grant, NJIT, $3,000.00, 2020 (Research Focus: COVID–19)

• Grantee, Undergraduate Research and Innovation (URI) Student Seed Grant, NJIT, $3,000.00, 2019 (Research Focus: Cholesterol)

• Grantee, National Science Foundation (NSF) I-Corps Northeast Hub Grant, NJIT, $2,000.00, 2019 (Research Focus: Cholesterol)

• Fellow, Provost Undergraduate Research and Innovation (URI) Summer Fellowship Program, NJIT, $3,000.00, 2019

​

Awards and Honors:

• President, Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society, NJIT Chapter, 2022 (Selected Top Research Poster Presentation Award in Biology and Biotechnology)

• Magna Cum Laude Academic Medal, NJIT, 2022

• College of Science and Liberal Arts Student Recognition Award, NJIT, 2022

• Nomination and Induction, National Academy of Inventors (NAI), NJIT, 2021

• Induction, Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society, NJIT Chapter, 2021

• Silver Medal, Best Undergraduate Presentation, Dana Knox Student Research Showcase, NJIT, 2021

• Induction, Phi Alpha Theta History Honors Society, NJIT Chapter, 2021

• Barry Goldwater Scholar, 2021

• Induction, Gamma Sigma Epsilon National Chemistry Honor Society, NJIT Chapter, 2020

​

Selected Works:

• Acevedo–Jake, A., Shi, S., Siddiqui, Z., Sanyal, S., Schur, R., Kaja, S., ... & Kumar, V. A. (2021). Preclinical Efficacy of Pro-and Anti-Angiogenic Peptide Hydrogels to Treat Age-Related Macular Degeneration. Bioengineering, 8(12), 190.

• Panchal, D., Kataria, J., Patel, K., Crowe, K., Pai, V., Azizogli, A., Kadian, N., Sanyal, S., et al. (2021). Peptide-Based Inhibitors for SARS–CoV–2 and SARS–CoV. Advanced Therapeutics, 4(10), 2100104.

• Harbour, V., Casillas, C., Siddiqui, Z., Sarkar, B., Sanyal, S., Nguyen, P., ... & Kumar, V. (2020). Regulation of Lipoprotein Homeostasis by Self-Assembling Peptides. ACS Applied Bio Materials, 3(12), 8978–8988.