Comm Fellow 2021-2023
Hansen Lab, BE
Viraat Goel joined MIT BE in 2019 and is currently a graduate student in Anders Hansen’s lab. A native of the cornfields of central Illinois, Viraat completed his Bachelor’s degree in bioengineering at the University of Illinois. After a summer spent biking cross-country to raise money for cancer research, Viraat began his PhD and joined the Hansen lab, where he is developing and applying techniques for studying genomic architecture and its role in modulating gene expression.
A strong believer in the power of community, Viraat serves on the BE Board and is involved with the BE Application Assistance Program (BEAAP) and the Graduate Student Council’s External Affairs Board (EAB). His interest in effective communication is rooted in his high school Speech Team, where he specialized in limited-prep and expository speaking. Accordingly, Viraat is particularly interested in public speaking and effectively communicating science to lay audiences for outreach and professional purposes. In his spare time, Viraat can be found hanging out with his cat, inserting puns into conversations, and reminiscing about life in the Midwest.