University of Chicago Professor Helps Bring Students From Diverse Bac…

In his lab at the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, professor, protein engineer and computational biologist Juan Mendoza researches the immune system to engineer cancer treatments. It’s work he came to a little later in life — and it’s in a field he said his immigrant parents couldn’t have imagined for their son as they raised him in California.

“I never knew science could be a career because my parents were from a small farming town, don’t speak English,” Mendoza said. “It was just not a pathway that we even thought was possible.”

Mendoza started out studying biochemistry at San Francisco State University, but pivoted to a career in IT before finishing his degree. After the post-9/11 recession, Mendoza returned to pursuing a career in science, where he said support via mentorship and salaried fellowships allowed him to reach his potential.

“I remember working as a kid up through college,” Mendoza said. “And so the focus on my academics wasn’t…