My name is Beka Raya Abagero. I'm a Ph.D. candidate in Molecular and Cellular Biology and Genetics at Drexel University College of Medicine and a clinical researcher specializing in malaria. My research focuses on Plasmodium vivax biology, Duffy-negative infections, low-density malaria detection, erythrocyte invasion, host–parasite interactions, genomics, and transcriptomics. I combine clinical and field research experience in Ethiopia with molecular, flow-cytometric, and computational approaches to investigate parasite persistence, transmission, anemia, and diagnostic challenges. My professional recognitions include full membership in Sigma Xi, the American Society of Parasitologists’ Marc Dresden Student Travel Grant, an EACCR2/EDCTP2-supported master’s studentship, and selection for the Marine Biological Laboratory’s Biology of Parasitism course. I'm passionate about collaborative infectious-disease research that translates laboratory and population-based science into improved surveillance, diagnostics, and global health preparedness.