𝗖𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘀
Rida is in her final year of her PhD studies at Iowa State University where she works on developing synthetic strategies and elucidating stereochemistry of backbone modified peptides. She has developed a novel approach for accessing amidinopeptides, an underexplored class of peptides, which is fully compatible with solid phase peptide synthesis. This approach has made amidinopeptides much more accessible, improved yields and reduced synthetic time and effort.
Not every scientist begins their journey surrounded by state-of-the-art research facilities. Rida started hers in organic synthesis while doing her undergraduate in Pakistan in a lab with very limited resources. Rather than limiting her, this environment fueled her ingenuity, resilience, and ability to solve problems creatively.
Driven by her passion for solving challenging synthetic problems, Rida came to Iowa State University to pursue her Ph.D. During her doctoral studies, she shifted her focus from small-molecule synthesis to peptide chemistry, where she found greater opportunity to develop her analytical methodology development skills along with her synthetic expertise. For Rida, peptides are especially exciting because they allowed her to think about molecules not just in terms of their chemical design but also explore how chemical modifications can reshape secondary structure and conformation.
When reflecting on her success, Rida is quick to acknowledge the support system that helped her along the way, including her family, her lab mates and her PI, Brett VanVeller. Looking ahead, she hopes to build a career in industry, where she can help develop drugs that ultimately reach patients. She is particularly drawn to opportunities in unnatural products and polypeptide therapeutics.
