David Sokolov

David Sokolov, a member of the Honors College from Morgantown, will graduate with degrees in biology and mathematics. He has served as a teaching assistant for the Department of Mathematics, a mentor for the Math Boot Camp and a member of the student advisory committee for the Allegheny Conference on Community Development.

Since his freshman year, he has fully immersed himself in research and teaching while he simultaneously collaborated with scientists from around the world and defended his capstone thesis.

As lead STEM editor of the Mountaineer Undergraduate Research Review, he has worked with fellow editorial staff to reinvent the journal after a several-year hiatus, an endeavor that has provided him with an opportunity to leverage his interests in undergraduate research and scientific communication.

Sokolov joined the molecular biology laboratory at the WVU Eye Institute his freshman year, where he worked to better understand the role of the protein that causes congenital blindness. Named a 2018 Harvard-Amgen Scholar, he conducted research on a recently-discovered chemical modification with a possible role in gene regulation in yeasts with the Department of Genetics at Harvard Medical School as a Harvard Amgen Scholar.

In May of 2018, he had an opportunity to travel to Thailand with GIVE volunteers where he helped teach English and sustainable agriculture to local community members.  

He was selected by the Allegheny Conference on Community Development to join a panel of accomplished student representatives to meet and provide recommendations on ways to attract young professionals to the Pittsburgh area.

After graduation, Sokolov plans to finish his master’s degree in mathematics at WVU and then take a gap year before he pursues his Ph.D. in biology. His ultimate goal is to perform research and teach at a university level.