When he decided to move 1700 miles from home to attend the UW, Samir Faruq had no idea he鈥檇 be part of Nobel Prize鈥搘inning research. Sometimes he still can鈥檛 quite believe it.
That pinch-me moment is one of many that Faruq, 鈥�26, a soft-spoken biochemistry and chemistry major from St. Louis, has experienced as an undergraduate researcher at the UW鈥檚 Institute for Protein Design (IPD), led by Professor David Baker, a聽winner of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Hands-on learning like this is why Faruq came to the UW 鈥� and doing cutting-edge work alongside graduate students, staff scientists and faculty has been worth the leap.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been an honor to contribute to such amazing work at the Baker Lab,鈥� says Faruq, one of 45 undergraduates currently working at the IPD. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an experience I couldn鈥檛 have anywhere else.鈥� This cross-disciplinary research center is harnessing artificial intelligence to design new proteins 鈥� the building blocks of biology 鈥� to shape the future of medicine and beyond. It鈥檚 work that will improve people鈥檚 lives.
Thousands of Husky undergrads like Faruq do hands-on research at the UW.
Aiming for a medical career, Faruq was drawn to the UW鈥檚 many undergraduate research opportunities. That benefit even helped convince his parents, who 鈥渨ere a little terrified with how far the UW was from home,鈥� he remembers.
Most Husky undergrads like Faruq participate in research 鈥� in STEM and non-STEM fields alike 鈥� because it鈥檚 a chance to explore interests, uncover new knowledge and gain real-world skills in critical thinking, collaboration, data analysis and more.
Faruq鈥檚 research journey started with the IPD鈥檚 Jupiter Program, a yearlong cohort-based research program for undergraduates where, he recalls, 鈥渨e were all struggling together and learning at the same time.鈥� Over the academic year in this prestigious lab, he fell in love with the science and knew he wanted to stick around.
Today, in between classes, Faruq can be found in the IPD鈥檚 fourth-floor space in the Nanoengineering & Sciences Building. Sometimes he鈥檚 on his laptop in the lounge, using the AI-powered tools the IPD developed to speed up the process of designing new proteins. Or he might put on a white coat and safety goggles in the lab, learning from his graduate student mentor how to produce and test those computer-generated designs. Often, he sees concepts he’s learned about in class come to life here.
"It鈥檚 been an honor to contribute to such amazing work at the Baker Lab. It鈥檚 an experience I couldn鈥檛 have anywhere else."
Faruq and his colleagues use the IPD's suite of homegrown AI tools to model and design proteins.
And there鈥檚 a thrill knowing that all his work has real-world applications. Currently, he鈥檚 studying specific strains of bacteria associated with urinary tract infections from catheters. 鈥淥ver time there鈥檚 been more resistance to antibiotics,鈥� he says, 鈥渁nd we need to find different ways to combat this.鈥�
Faruq is learning other career skills too, like how to talk to a lay audience about his work 鈥� and he鈥檚 presented at the UW Undergraduate Research Symposium. He鈥檚 also minoring in human rights, a program he discovered at the UW, hoping it鈥檒l help him 鈥渦nderstand patients as a whole beyond just their health care needs.鈥� All these skills and experiences are paving the way toward a future career as a doctor.
Hear from Samir Faruq about his undergraduate research experience at the UW.
Beyond his pivotal experience at the IPD, Faruq has found community in other UW spaces, including the 聽and the , where he鈥檚 connected with students who share his cultural background and interests. Whether he鈥檚 hanging out at the or designing proteins at the IPD, Faruq has found a home at the UW 鈥� and a Husky Experience tailor-made for his curiosity, strengths and career goals.
Story by Malavika Jagannathan // Photos by Mark Stone
Originally published October 2025
