Olivia Williams graduated from UNH in 2022 with her bachelor’s degree in biomedical sciences: medical microbiology and earned her master’s degree in molecular and cellular biotechnology (MCBT) from UNH in 2023. Now, the Fremont, New Hampshire native is pursuing her doctorate in genetics. Below, she shares her experience in the MCBT program.
COLSA: What did you love about the molecular and cellular biotechnology program?
Olivia Williams: I love the MCBT program because it is a master’s degree designed specifically for those who want to work in industry. It's also extremely flexible to your individual career goals.
COLSA: Why did you choose UNH?
Olivia: I chose UNH because of the location and the fact that we are an R1 research university.
COLSA: How would you describe the in-person learning experience and its impact on the quality of your education?
Olivia: UNH has some really great science curriculum that spans many different fields. Some more specialized courses are also much smaller, and you get to interact with faculty more directly which was always super helpful.
COLSA: How have the teaching, training and one-on-one mentoring by faculty benefited you?
Olivia: The one-on-one mentoring and trainings I received during my time in the MCBT program are unmatched. My advisors were wonderful people and so helpful with course selection and career counseling.
COLSA: How has your experience been customized based on your career goals?
Olivia: I was able to take just about any course that I thought was relevant to my own career goals and really customize the program to fit me. I was also able to have independent research projects and a summer internship count towards my degree, something that's extremely difficult in other master’s programs.
COLSA: What do you plan to do with your degree?
Olivia: I plan to work in industry in the field of regenerative science. I ended up staying at UNH in the genetics PhD program to further my learning, and I joined a lab that focuses on lens regeneration.
