I am Amoit Scholastic, a second-year MSc student in Molecular Biology at Makerere University and an MSc Research Fellow at the MRC/UVRI & LSHTM Uganda Research Unit. I attended the Protein Design Workshop, one that came at the perfect time in my academic journey. I had just shaped the idea for my MSc project, yet I felt stuck. I knew "what", but I had no idea how to approach it computationally. When I learned about the workshop, it felt like the stepping stone I needed: a bridge between my wet-lab background and the computational biology-driven future I envisioned for myself. I was also motivated by the opportunity to expand my career into data science, interact with new people, and expose myself to fresh ideas beyond my day-to-day work. The promise of collaboration, shared learning, and making new friends made the experience even more enticing. So I told myself, "Why not?''
The workshop exceeded all expectations. We explored tools that, until then, I had only heard about theoretically. One of the most impactful moments for me was during our group’s workflow, where I kept wondering why we were moving back and forth from AlphaFold, Rosetta, and ProteinMPNN. And to be honest, there were moments when I got completely stuck. Then I would remember how good the meals were and tell myself, "If the protein won’t fold, at least the lunch will.” Then our instructor, Dalal, walked us through the workflow step by step, and suddenly everything clicked and made sense. It made me realize just how much information a single protein can hold. And how much more I can do with the DNA sequences I generate from the wet lab using these computational tools. It was not only humbling and empowering, but also informative and transformative.
Learning alongside peers from diverse backgrounds created a truly supportive and energizing atmosphere. We shared knowledge, helped each other debug stubborn code, exchanged ideas from our different fields over lunch, and even joked about how these connections might one day turn into a winning grant team. We bonded even more during the certificate award ceremony. The dancing, the laughter, and the endless group photos. Those moments made the workshop feel less like formal training and more like a genuine scientific retreat.
I was especially grateful for the one-on-one guidance from Dalal, who walked me through each step and made it easy to see how these tools could strengthen my HIV drug resistance research. I now plan to incorporate AlphaFold, Rosetta metrics, and possibly ProteinMPNN to investigate how mutations affect protein structure and the binding of long-acting antiretroviral therapy.
This collaborative environment highlighted how international mentorship and shared expertise can shape one’s trajectory. It reaffirmed my ambition to pursue a PhD in computational biology, where collaborations across disciplines, countries, and expertise are essential. This experience showed me that with the right partnerships, I can grow into the kind of scientist who bridges wet-lab and computational approaches seamlessly while also sharing the knowledge gained with coursemates and colleagues to foster a culture of learning and collaboration.