Michelle Harwood is exploring what makes each of us different, at a genetic level, hoping to answer fundamental questions about why people age.

A fifth-year PhD candidate in Dr. Philip Awadalla’s lab, Harwood studies allele-specific expression, a phenomenon where one half of a gene is over- or under-expressed. This can have implications for how we age and experience disease.

“Everyone ages, but what makes some individuals age and remain healthier and live longer compared to those who develop a disease earlier on?” Harwood says.