Miguel Martinez

I first heard about the Universities of Shady Grove (USG) several years ago from my wife. She grew up in the area and we met while I was serving in the U.S. Air Force. She often gave praise to the education institutions in Montgomery County and especially promoted this campus as a great alternative to going to any one of the home universities that USG partners with. As usual, she was right. With the number of programs offered, the quality of education, cost-effectiveness, and the convenient location for local students, the USG campus is nothing short of amazing. 

My introduction to the Biocomputational Engineering program offered at USG occurred during my first semester at Montgomery College, where I was initially on a Computer Science degree track. An email about this new program being developed at USG by University of Maryland College Park’s (UMD) renowned A. James Clark School of Engineering caught my eye, as it combined facets of engineering, biology and computer science. It seemed like a perfect match for me, melding my engineering abilities developed during my time as a jet mechanic in the military, with a longstanding fascination with biology, all on a computer science and machine learning foundation. Without hesitation, I immediately changed my major and redirected towards the requisite coursework and transitioned to USG the following year.

In the summer of 2023, I was enthusiastically involved in a nuanced research project, delving into the intricate analysis of MRI imaging biomarker data from a specific cohort of glioblastoma patients at The University of Pennsylvania. We applied and modified various advanced machine learning algorithms to facilitate the exploration of survival predictions in hopes that it might also play a vital role for developing personalized individual treatment strategies. My involvement not only allowed me to hone my skills in biocomputational analysis but also deepened my resolve to contribute to the field of personalized medicine through innovative data approaches.

I am proud to say I have since graduated from the University of Maryland in May of 2024. I am now a first-year PhD student at the University of Florida, where I was honored to receive the prestigious Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering Dean's Research Award and the McKnight Doctoral Fellowship. These recognitions have further motivated me to excel in my academic and research pursuits. My current research focuses on understanding hematological malignancies, particularly chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML), a cancer that significantly affects blood and bone marrow function. I am using advanced single-cell sequencing analysis and machine learning models to investigate how inflammatory cytokines influence hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) in CMML. This work aims to identify key biomarkers and pathways influencing disease progression, contributing to the development of novel therapeutic strategies. This research builds on the skills I developed while at USG and reflects my commitment to combining computational biology with translational medicine.