Students
Vashti Bryant, B.S., M.S.
Ph.D.
Advisor: Xiaodong Cheng, Ph.D.
Vashti was born in Heidelburg, West Germany to a military family and grew up in numerous U.S. cities. She received her B.S. in Biochemistry from Iowa State University and her M.S. in Biomedical Science from Hood College in Frederick, MD. While working on her M.S., Vashti worked full-time in the biotechnology industry primarily as a Molecular Biologist.
Vashti entered UTMB in 2005 with the hopes of gaining training in drug discovery and development. She currently works with Dr. Xiaodong Cheng and Dr. Amar Natarajan to combine cancer pharmacology and organic synthesis to develop small molecules for pancreatic cancer therapy. Vashti has recently been re-appointed a W.M. Keck Pharmacoinformatics Fellow through the NIH supported Keck Center of the Gulf Coast Consortia.
On campus, Vashti is involved in student government (SGA and GSO) and the GSBS recruitment committee. In her spare time, Vashti is an active Big Sister in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program on the island. She also loves to travel.
Email: vcbryant@utmb.edu