Vanessa Grifford

Vanessa Grifford is a senior at Arizona State University majoring in Pharmacology and Toxicology. She has a keen interest in researching psychedelics and will soon be applying to PhD programs. She is a returning first-generation college student. Through Students for Sensible Drug Policy, she has completed the certification to be a peer drug educator and have open, honest conversations with the public about drugs and drug users. Currently, she is a laboratory assistant in Dr Pamela Marshall’s eukaryotic genetics lab where they are working on improving an existing T Cell lymphoma drug that also shows promise in treating other types of cancers as well as Alzheimer’s disease. Her part of this project involves testing analogs for efficacy, cytotoxicity, and mutagenicity. In her free time, Vanessa likes to be out in nature and near water. She is hoping this mentorship will allow her the opportunity to network with other scientists and students to gain further skills that will benefit her future career path.

Mentor: Ahmed Abdelmoneim