Lauren D. Varanese, a Fountain Hills resident, has earned her PhD from Stanford University’s Department of Microbiology and Immunology.

Varanese’s academic history began in Fountain Hills Unified School District, then onto BASIS Scottsdale through graduation. She completed her undergraduate degree in Biochemistry at Tufts University before entering the graduate program at Stanford.

During her graduate research at Stanford, Varanese’s contributions to the areas of viral entry and infection mechanisms were published in the esteemed journals “Science” and “Nature.”

Looking ahead, Dr. Varanese is set to begin her professional journey as a scientist at Illumina Inc., where she will focus on advancing DNA sequencing technologies. Dr. Varanese’s parents, William (Bill) and Pam Varanese, wombmates Valarie and Christopher Varanese, along with grandmother Estelle Mazzotta said they are “proud to congratulate her on this major accomplishment.”