Kristi Civici ’25 studied polymers and fungi at Clark. He’s now on a biotech career path.
Kristi Civici ’25 has always been interested in medicine and volunteered for medical causes growing up in Albania. But he didn’t visit a professional lab until he arrived at Clark.
“It felt like a dream come true,” says Civici, a biochemistry and molecular biology major in the Prehealth Advising Program. During his first year on campus, Civici discovered biochemical research was his passion. “Everything in our life is connected through science, biochemistry, molecular biology, and so on. The more I discover through my research, the more amazing that connection becomes.”
Civici has researched a few areas of biochemistry, including polymer chemistry and gene-delivery mechanisms. He has worked in the labs of professors Sergio Granados-Focil (chemistry) and Javier Tabima Restrepo (biology).
In the Granados-Focil lab, Civici focused on synthesizing a polymer called Linear Polyethylenimine, a project that would culminate in his capstone presentation at ClarkFEST in fall 2024. The purpose of this research was to synthesize a large polymer that is very efficient in reparative gene delivery but toxic to the human body into a more efficient and less toxic delivery mechanism.
“In the beginning, you think science is only the eureka moments, but there’s so much trial and error and mundane work,” he says. “When you get through that work, you feel good about yourself.”
Civici joined the Tabima lab to expand his knowledge of genomic data. There, he worked on a project examining the fecal matter of multiple species of frogs to study a fungus called Basidiobolus that can be found in frogs’ intestinal tracts. The purpose of this research was to examine the possibility of a process called horizontal gene transfer, where organisms “borrow” nutrients from each other to make useful chemicals for themselves. The lab observed the interactions between the fungi and other microbes in the intestinal microbiome.
Civici’s Clark experience was not confined to a laboratory. He was a member of Clark’s Pre-Health Society and co-president in his senior year. The club was a way for Civici and other Clarkies to meet scholars from medical schools and pre-med programs, who shared their experiences and advice on applying to medical school. Civici credits the Pre-Health Society with his growth as a pre-med student and for nurturing lasting friendships and meaningful connections.
In the fall, Civici will attend the University of Pennsylvania to pursue a master’s degree in biotechnology with a concentration in biopharmaceutical engineering. Ideally, he wants to work in drug development or drug discovery.
“Academics, research, and everything in between can get very stressful when you are so focused on work,” he says. “But I can say now that it definitely pays off.”
