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Meet Oriana Silva, a UNT chemistry graduate student conducting her Ph.D. research in the lab of Dr. Omar Valsson. Her main research area involves applying atomistic simulations and machine learning methods to investigate challenging biomolecular systems. 

“During my undergraduate studies, I had the honor to work at Dr. Compson’s lab where I did not only learn about stable isotopes, macroinvertebrates, and food web ecology, but also got immersed for the very first time in programming languages,” said Oriana, who then went on to attend a residential computational chemistry workshop last summer with the Molecular Sciences Software Institute (MolSSI) at Rice University.

“In the MolSSI workshop I learned Python Language and gained further insight into computational chemistry,” said Oriana, who also attended the International High Performance Computer Summer School in Japan this summer. “This experience was life-changing, deepening my enthusiasm for computational chemistry and motivating me to shift my graduate studies towards exploring biochemical processes, like protein-protein interactions, through theoretical approaches.” 

These interactions play a crucial role in important disease pathways, including cancer and neurodegenerative disorders. By creating computational models and studying simulations of interactions, Oriana hopes that this research will lead to new opportunities in drug discovery and pharmaceutical development. 

Oriana recently attended the 2024 NDiSTEM Conference hosted by the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics & Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) for the first time and took home an Outstanding Research Presentation award for her work. 

"The conference was such a vibrant and uplifting gathering of scientists and aspiring scientists from various ethnic backgrounds,” said Oriana, who is Venezuelan American. “I had the pleasure of reconnecting with fellow Hispanic STEM students whom I met at the 2023 ESA Conference, and I was astonished when I heard my name during the Awards section! Overall, it was a very nourishing experience where I grew professionally and personally.” 

Oriana received her undergraduate degrees in chemistry and French at UNT and has the been the recipient of numerous awards and scholarships while studying here, including a travel award to attend the SACNAS conference. 

“I really love the culture at UNT, specifically the chemistry department’s, which is why I am delighted to continue my graduate studies here,” she said. “I would like to extend special thanks to my advisor, Dr. Valsson, for his invaluable guidance throughout my graduate studies, and my lab mates for their collaboration. I am also grateful to Dr. Atkinson for encouraging me to apply to present my research at the SACNAS NDiSTEM Conference!” 

Oriana hopes to secure a postdoctoral fellowship after she finishes her Ph.D. in 2028 and her ultimate career goal is to become a research professor of computational chemistry.