I Am Anvita Gupta, a Bioinformatics Researcher and This Is How I Work
We often look to veterans of life and business to share the wisdom they have accumulated over their careers, but today we look to the future, a young woman with astounding ambition. Anvita Gupta, 17, is a bioinformatics researcher, an Intel Science Talent Search finalist, and a high school student.
Intel Science Talent Search is a prestigious math and science competition that encourages young adults to tackle challenging science questions and find solutions that will improve humanity before college. To earn herself a spot in the finals and a trip to Washington, D.C., Anvita used machine learning to identify promising new drugs for cancer, tuberculosis and Ebola. She has also learned eight programming languages, is the president of the high school robotics team, and teaches computer science classes for high school girls.
You know, I think it’s safe to say that Anvita has a promising future and that ours will be better thanks to her research. We spoke with Anvita to find out a little about how she works.
Location: Phoenix, Arizona Current job: High school student, bioinformatics researcher. One word that best describes how you work: focused. Current mobile device: Samsung Galaxy. Current computer: Lenovo Thinkpad and MacBook Pro.
What apps, software or tools can’t you live without? Why?
Ubuntu , GIMP , Gmail, and RStudio [Statistical Computing IDE – Ed.].
How is your workplace arranged?
Wherever my computer is, there is my workplace! I usually work at home at a huge desk with all my laptops, a 32-inch Samsung monitor that I plug into my laptop, a large metal lamp, and a USB mouse.
What’s your best time-saver or life hack?
I try not to go too much on Facebook or email, and I set a time frame to focus only on work. During this time, I am much more productive than usual!
What’s your favorite to-do list manager?
I have been using Wunderlist for a while, but it was too difficult to log in every time. So I usually stick with Excel or simple notes and pens.
What device, besides a phone and a computer, can you not live without and why?
My headphones, judging by what I use most often.
What are some of your best everyday activities?
I think pretty well of things in terms of connections and networks, and I see objects in the context of the systems in which they reside. These skills will really come in handy for my extracurricular activities, including getting involved in robotics in my high school. team, and in teaching a computer science class for high school girls that I started with financial support from Google and the National Center for Women and Information Technology . You can find out more about my LITAS club at litas4girls.org .
What do you listen to while you work?
If I’m doing something that doesn’t require a lot of concentration, I listen to either soft Bollywood music or Coldplay , The Killers and alternative rock. If I study, I will not listen to music.
What are you reading now?
Since I started school, I have had much less time to read. Currently I mostly read online: news, Wikipedia articles, Quora and ScienceDaily are some of my favorites! I really like ScienceDaily because the articles are very detailed and well categorized according to your interests. Quora answers all the questions you’ve never thought about, but that you really would like to know the answers.
Are you more of an introvert or an extrovert?
More likely an introvert.
What is your sleep pattern?
Definitely an owl! I use three or four alarms on my phone to wake up and usually read before bed.
Fill in the blank: I would like _________ to answer these same questions.
Bill Gates.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
To work hard and not worry about the results, because the results do not depend on you.