Sudili Fernando graduated summa cum laude from Baylor University in 2023 with a BS in Biology, concentrating in Cell and Molecular Biology, along with a minor in Biochemistry. While at Baylor University, her research focused on the role of the gut microbiome and diet on the development of colorectal cancer. She successfully completed and defended an Honors thesis on the impact of vitamin D supplementation on indole-producing bacterial species abundance in the human gut microbiome.
Through the Fulbright in Ireland award, Sudili will pursue a PhD in Cancer Research at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI). She will continue her research in colorectal cancer by investigating the epigenetic mechanisms impacted by microbiome dysbiosis in colorectal cancer patients. She hopes this research could lead to novel therapeutic targets that could improve the lives of cancer patients.