Durga joined UMBC as a Ph.D. Graduate Student in Spring 2023 at the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. After lab rotation
s, she joined Dr. Zeev Rosenweig’s lab in June 2023. Currently, her research aims to improve control over the differentiation and growth of stem cells using biomaterials like collagen that are doped with MXenes. The study’s central hypothesis is that nanostructures like MXenes would provide attachment and adhesion points to cells grown in biomaterials in 3D. These will increase the density of cells in the culture and enhance their growth. A secondary hypothesis is that stem cell growth rate and differentiation in these 3D cultures would depend on the nanostructures’ composition, size, and surface chemistry.
Durga was born and raised in Gorkha, Nepal where she completed her school-level education. Then she moved to the capital city of Nepal, Kathmandu where she completed her Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Amrit Science Campus, and then Master’s degree in Physical Chemistry from Central Department of Chemistry, Tribhuvan University in 2017. After graduation, she worked as a Chemistry lecturer in different high schools, teaching Chemistry and guiding students in laboratory experiments. In her free time, she loves cooking, hiking, hanging out with friends and family, gardening, and watching the latest streaming shows.