Felix Steinruecke

2021

Mumbai, India

Academic Interests

Biology Major, Computer Science Minor

Fun Fact

I am one eighth Swedish!

Academically, I am interested in the biomedical sciences. Ever since I started to study Biology during middle school, I have been amazed by the complexity and sophistication that living organisms possess, right down to the cellular level. At Duke, I have had the opportunity to participate in scientific research, starting with the Biological Sciences Undergraduate Research Fellowship during my post-freshman summer. Working in the Pendergast Lab in the Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, I have had the gratifying experience of applying the Biology that I so enjoy learning about in the classroom toward the goal of answering new scientific questions.

My experiences shadowing physicians at various healthcare facilities – ranging from a primary care clinic in rural Kerala, India to the largest Accident & Emergency hospital in Vienna, Austria – have inclined me to a career involving direct patient interaction. In order to combine my interests in biomedical research and the practice of medicine, I plan to pursue an MD-PhD and ultimately a career as a physician scientist.

Outside of the classroom, I volunteer as a tutor in MASTERY, a program that pairs Duke Undergraduates with refugee students with the aim of providing mentorship and academic support. Additionally, I am involved in Duke’s chapter of Effective Altruism, an organization that aims to use evidence and reason to achieve the most social good possible.

In my spare time, I enjoy reading, playing soccer and tennis, and trekking.

What do you like about being a SPIRE Fellow?

The SPIRE program draws on the ability of Duke students to work together to overcome common academic challenges, and thereby achieve their full academic potential. Being a SPIRE Fellow has made me understand that my peers usually experience the same difficulties and concerns as I do. It has also exposed me, to a greater extent, to their outstanding abilities and achievements. As a Fellow, I have come to view my peers as people that I should learn from and collaborate with, rather than people I must compete against.

Felix Steinruecke.
Felix Steinruecke