When students arrive at the Stowers Graduate School, they bring fresh perspectives, boundless curiosity, and a fearless drive to question the status quo. The Stowers Institute and the Graduate School provide researchers both the space and support to explore scientific inquiries they are passionate about solving.

“I encourage students to explore their ideas, to do curiosity-driven research,” said Stowers Assistant Investigator Ameya Mashruwala, Ph.D. “All unknown paths possess inherent risk. But if we don’t take that risk, if we don’t follow an unknown path, we cannot uncover new knowledge.”

For Mashruwala, this curiosity-driven research is personal. An unusual experiment during his postdoctoral position fortuitously resulted not only in a novel discovery but the entire foundation of his lab’s research. His experience underscores the power of following scientific curiosity.

“I was working with an undergraduate student, and we decided to let different colonies of the bacteria, Vibrio cholerae, grow for several days instead of the typical one-day protocol,” said Mashruwala. “Instead of the nice round appearance we expected, the plates of bacteria had sectors—like slices of pizza—missing. Normally, we would have discarded those plates, but following through on what was behind their strange appearance led to the unexpected discovery of a regulated cell death program in bacteria.”

Mashruwala helps students see science as an adventure, filled with discoveries and obstacles that must be overcome. Equally important to curiosity is persistence—the ability to push forward when experiments do not go as planned.

“I want students to understand that failure is not a setback but a moment to learn the most about our work and ourselves,” said Mashruwala.

“Many of our students will go on to pursue careers in science, but some may explore other fields following their Ph.D.,” said Mashruwala. “Regardless of their path, the critical thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving skills they develop here will enable them to make an impact in any area.”

Mashruwala’s postdoctoral mentor Bonnie Bassler, Ph.D., later admitted that when he first approached her about investigating the bizarre bacterial pizza plates, she almost threw him out of her office.

“To Bonnie’s credit, she let me explore this idea,” said Mashruwala. “Now, when my students have curiosity-driven questions, I urge them to follow their instincts because you never know if a completely new discovery awaits.”

Mashruwala’s research focuses on understanding the molecular underpinnings of regulated cell death in bacteria, a type of communal behavior that parallels programmed cell death found in multicellular organisms. Unraveling this evolutionary ancient behavior has the potential to aid in new therapies to curb bacterial infections and to unlock insights into similar processes in humans. Learn more about the Mashruwala Lab here.