From PCCC to PhD: Lora Fanda Stays Curious

Stay Curious. Those words have become a mantra for Lora Fanda. They are even printed on the name tag the former PCCC STEM major wears in her work as a PhD candidate in Europe. 

Modest about her achievements, Lora once said, “I didn’t have the highest GPA or any special intellectual gifts. I was just very curious. I’m the type of person who tends to get into everything.”

That curiosity – along with hard work and talent – brought Lora to where she is today, completing the third year of a five-year PhD program at the University of Geneva, Switzerland, where her studies focus on brain science.  

“I am very grateful for my time at PCCC,” said Lora, who was a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and a tutor for STEM.  “I started as a chemistry major, but my STEM professors answered all my questions and helped me to realize my interests connected more to the field of biotechnology and biomedicine.”

Lora went on to the elite Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) in Cleveland and earned a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering with a minor in electrical engineering.

On a recommendation from CWRU, Lora was hired as a data scientist for New York University’s prestigious Langone Medical Center where her work involved measuring brain activity of patients with epilepsy for a project that was completed in collaboration with Princeton University and Google.  It was this work at Langone that inspired Lora to pursue a career in the field of neuroscience with a focus on epilepsy.

She chose to do a master’s study at the Idiap research institute accepting their offer of a unique opportunity to attend school part-time while also working part-time at a paid job related to her field. “I am very appreciative,” says Lora. “Without that arrangement, I would not have been able to attend.”

Lora earned a master’s degree (2021) in Artificial Intelligence (AI), using machine learning techniques to classify and interpret brain activity while paying attention using EEG (electroencephalogram) data.

Now pursuing a PhD in Clinical Neuroscience at University of Geneva,  in collaboration with the Geneva University Hospital, Lora works directly with epilepsy patients there and researches methods to create a patient profile that could assist with predicting an epileptic episode and cognitive language functioning.

Lora explained that the main purpose of her doctoral research is twofold: to study the onset of an epileptic seizure and to study how language is produced in the brain.

“My professional goal is to merge AI, neuroscience, and engineering to benefit patients with epilepsy and other brain disorders.”

Immigrating as a teen with her family to the United States, Lora is originally from North Macedonia, and is happy to be back in Europe and enjoying life in Switzerland. She balances her heavy-duty studies with plenty of outdoor physical activity, especially hiking, skiing, and biking.

“I feel there is better work/life balance here in Switzerland,” she says. “While the attitude toward work is very serious, you are not expected to give your entire soul to your job. There are even strict requirements about making time for rest and a personal life.”

One experience Lora made time for was a return to her hometown as a guest speaker at a local university. “They were doing an “inspiration” series, inviting successful people who had grown up locally to come and talk about their experiences,” she explained. “The students asked such lovely questions. Their critical thinking skills really impressed me.”

While curiosity ignited her success, Lora considers two more C-words as essential to navigating a doctoral program: Commitment and collaboration.

“Some of the most fulfilling moments for me are the times spent brainstorming with collaborators,” says Lora. “But there are peaks and dips characteristic to a doctoral program, and when you are at a low point, you need to stay committed and remind yourself why you are doing this.”

Those two Cs merged after one of Lora’s personal low points. “I coped with that time by reading and reading and reading,” she said.  Her approach paid off during a discussion with fellow students. “I had an a-ha moment when one of them raised a question, and I was able to answer with the knowledge I gained from my reading.”

When asked what she most aspires to accomplish in her doctoral studies, Lora turned to the conundrum of epilepsy research: To accurately predict and detect a seizure. A major challenge in achieving this goal, she says, is coping with the complexity of the brain and with how elusive definitive discoveries can be.  

“The multiple causes and manifestations of a seizure can be vastly different from person to person, so it’s very difficult to confidently detect and predict potential seizures in a patient.” Lora added, “If I could answer just one of the questions about that, I would feel all my work has been a success.”   Her curiosity may one day cure the conundrum.

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By Linda Telesco
Photo courtesy of Lora Fanda