Rutuja Gupte BSx’26 is an explorer by nature. She grew up near Mumbai, India, but she made the adventuresome decision to come to UW without really knowing anyone on campus. Over the last two years, Gupte has searched through the many options available to her at the university, from research on genomic markers to mentorship to music, looking for her place in it all. And along the way, she has found community.

“I’m not saying no to anything,” says Gupte, a junior majoring in genetics and genomics and data science. “I am trying to collect information, explore my options.”

Gupte built a good base for exploration from the beginning. As an incoming freshman, she took part in the CALS QuickStart program, which introduces incoming first-year students to everything that the university and CALS have to offer. Participants connect with peers, faculty, and staff. For Gupte, it provided a landing place and a close-knit group that set her up for success.

“As an international student, it was a little scary to start college,” she explains. “But with QuickStart, I was in contact with people before I even got here. All the teaching fellows were incredibly helpful, and I made a lot of good friends with other students who I’m still close with.”

As she settled into campus and college life, she knew she wanted to major in genetics and genomics. But she also had a coding background and wondered how to fit that into her academic career. After taking a class in data science, she realized she wanted it to be a second major.

Gupte has put both of her fields of interest to use as a researcher in the lab of Nathaniel Sharp. The lab focuses on genetic variation through mutations and studies how mutations get introduced to a population. The experiments needed for these areas of study are large-scale, long-term projects that produce a lot of data. Those data provide a perfect opportunity for someone like Gupte.

“Rutuja is studying how variations in rates of transcription across the genome might contribute to mutation patterns,” says Sharp, an assistant professor of genetics. “She has a strong understanding of coding and statistics, which is a great benefit for studies of genome-wide patterns.”

This summer, Gupte undertook an internship at Ball Horticultural Company in Chicago, where she utilized both her genetics and data science backgrounds. She tested and evaluated newly developed software that can connect certain plant characteristics to markers in the genome. She also built a phylogenetic tree of plant samples from a breeder, hoping to inform future decisions about the best plants to crossbreed.

Gupte’s explorations have also led her to communities beyond her academic endeavors. As the code analysis coach for the Science Olympiad team at Madison’s West High School, she works with students on science projects and helps them prepare for the Olympiad exams. And as a Hindustani classical vocalist, she finds time to serve as the vice president of Saaz, an Indian music group on campus.

“It’s a very community-oriented group, which I love,” she says. “We are really good friends, and it’s nice to be around other musicians to try different things that I may not try otherwise.”

Sharp is excited to see where Gupte’s willingness to expand her horizons takes her in the years to come. “Rutuja is a critical thinker and a joy to work with,” says Sharp. “She is always looking for new opportunities to learn, and I expect she’ll be an excellent candidate for whatever she decides to do.