Nayanna Mercado-Soto (She/ Her/ Hers) is a 24-year-old born and raised in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. She graduated from the University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez with an Industrial Microbiology bachelor's degree and a teaching certificate. Currently she is a first year PhD student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the Microbiology Doctoral Training Program. She studies Aspergillus fumigatus host-pathogen interactions using zebrafish as a model organism. Nayanna is passionate about education, science, and outreach. Follow her on Twitter: @Nay_MMS

Your Academic Journey

Applications and Funding

Career and Networking

Thesis and Dissertation

PREP: A Non-Traditional Route To PhD

Discover Nayanna Mercado-Soto’s non-traditional path to pursuing a PhD in Biomedical Sciences by participating in a Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP). Read about how this program helped her gain research experience, improve her communication skills, and prepare for the grad school application cycle.

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How I Wrote My PhD Thesis In One Year

Is it possible to complete your PhD thesis in just one year? Read these tips and tricks for writing your own theses. Discover how Jazli prepared before writing, utilized a “changelog” for his supervisors, wrote whenever he was in the mood, worked on a flexible schedule, had a supervisor that checked his content and not his writing, and, most importantly, enjoyed writing.

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