ABRCMS Alumni Spotlight: Tamuka M. Chidyausiku, Ph.D

Tamuka “Muk” Chidyausiku, Ph.D was born and raised in Zimbabwe, and moved to the United States for his undergraduate degree. He graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Biology from Claflin University. After Claflin, Tamuka completed a post-Baccalaureate certification at Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research before moving on to complete his Masters & Ph.D in Biochemistry from the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington. His post-doctoral training as a computational biochemist was attained at the Institute for Protein Design in Seattle, WA. Tamuka is now employed as a Principal Scientist at Novartis Institute for BioMedical Research where he specializes in drug discovery for unmet medical needs. In his spare time he volunteers his time & efforts as a community organizer promoting scholarship across the STEM + Arts (STEAM) space under the social media handle; @STEAMulater. Dr. Chidyausiku is also a brother of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated

What was one of the low points or challenges in your scientific journey, and what helped you? What advice do you have for others?

When I was picking a lab to join as my thesis lab I found such a difficulty in just picking something that would define my whole career and the rest of my life. Being from Zimbabwe and the only person in my entire tribe to ever pursue a PhD in STEM I had no family to turn to for guidance. It was at that crossroads that I relied heavily on my chosen family and found the beauty of communities we create through conferences like ABRCMS for URM programs like the ones at NIBR. That community caught me during my free fall and has never let me down since that critical decision has set me up for the career of my dreams.

What is something about science or your current work that you find fascinating or motivating?

Change is the one thing that’s constant in the sciences and once you learn to adapt to change THAT is a new skill set that is transferable across many fields.