For her senior thesis, Vy Le ’25 explored a surprising ability found in some bacteria: proteins inside them can attach a chemical group to themselves without assistance from another enzyme. That puzzle, which she encountered in the Biochemistry Superlab, became the focus of her project, “Exploring Acyl Carrier Protein Self-Malonylation Properties.” She wanted to understand why some of these proteins can act on their own while others cannot and what that might mean for creating new, beneficial compounds from bacteria.
The project deepened her curiosity about natural product biosynthesis and the potential it holds for creating new compounds. The process she explored “opens new doors for engineering ‘unnatural’ natural products with new building blocks,” Le, who majored in chemistry, says. “This could ultimately help researchers develop natural products for pharmaceutical or industrial use.”
Working in Professor of Chemistry Lou Charkoudian’s lab, Le says, gave her the opportunity to take ownership of her research while receiving steady guidance and encouragement. Across weekly meetings with Charkoudian, Le received support in everything from experiment design to career planning as she navigated the challenges of independent research.
“There were times I had to redo the same experiment multiple times or rethink my approach entirely,” she says. “Those moments pushed me to be creative, resilient, and patient with the research process.”
The thesis also reminded her of the bigger picture. By exploring ways to expand the biosynthetic toolkit for natural product production, Le’s passion for sustainable medicine was reaffirmed. This fall, she will attend the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, with a goal of making healthcare more accessible for refugee and immigrant communities. “It reminded me of why I chose to pursue medicine,” she says. “To help make healthcare more accessible, especially for communities who are too often overlooked.”
As a first-generation, low-income student who immigrated from Vietnam at the age of 3, she credits her success to the support she found at Haverford, including the Chesick Scholars Program, her membership on the field hockey team, and her mentor, Charkoudian.
“Navigating college without parental guidance was challenging,” Le says. “But their encouragement helped me grow into the person I am today, and I am extremely grateful for them.”