Monica Nicolau is a graduate student at Sanford Burnham Prebys, currently pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Sciences since September 2023. Previously, Monica completed a Master's degree in Molecular Biotechnology at Università degli Studi di Torino, where a focused internship under Dr. Andrea Graziani involved characterizing molecular pathways of cancer cachexia. Earlier academic achievements include a Bachelor's degree in Genomics from Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna and a high school diploma from Liceo Scientifico "Francesco Redi."