Dr. Mayank
Chugh

I am Mayank Chugh. I am a first-generation college graduate, born and raised in Anglophilic India before I started my academic journey. I reside in Williamsburg, VA. I am a Visiting Assistant Professor in Biology and Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies at The College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA.

 

I am fascinated by life; its beauty in form, shape, pattern, function, and dynamics in space and time. I am excited by how a single cell develops into a multicellular organism with sophisticated organs and coherent behaviour. I have spent the last 10 years learning and investigating this fundamental question in different organisms and with various techniques.  

 
I am also constantly inspired by the life around me: change of the seasons, music, murals in the streets, mountains, people's faces and emotions, et cetera. I channel this inspiration into my scientific research and more so, writing and art. I do not like to border science, art, and society. They belong together.

Hence, I very much believe in community. No man is an island, and neither is science. Representation matters in- and outside science. Inclusion and equity matters in- and outside science. I am action-oriented about the betterment of our communities--at institutional and federal levels--with data-driven research- informed policy and culture change.  My tenure at Harvard has aligned my academic trajectory with my core values and led me to William & Mary to establish a teaching & research program I call the 'ReForm Lab'.