# Lamount Evanson - Schmidt lab **“Give yourself grace; it’s okay to fail sometimes; and do not compare yourself to others!”** August 31, 2026 ![Lamount Evanson](/sites/g/files/omnuum5516/files/2026-08/Evanson_Lamount.jpeg) As a child, **Lamount Evanson**, a PhD candidate in the Virology Program (G3), imagined a very different future for himself. It took a very special journey for him to find his passion in virology, from his family’s hotel in Antigua to an art installation at Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Now, in Dr. Aaron Schmidt’s lab, Lamount works on developing vaccines for viruses with pandemic potential, such as West Nile virus and influenza virus. In today’s blog, we will hear about Lamount’s journey to become a virology student at Harvard, his scientific inspirations, his beloved lab, and his wisdom for surviving thriving in graduate school. --- ***Q. If we opened a time capsule from your childhood, what would we find that hinted you'd become a scientist?*** I don’t think you’d find any, because I didn’t always want to be a scientist. I originally wanted to become a chef! I guess you could say that people call cooking a science because of measurements and stuff. My grandmother was a well-known caterer back home in Antigua, and my mother’s side of the family owned a small hotel. I grew up in the hotel, and all the staff were like a family to me. My favorite pastime was in the kitchen, helping with the random things the chef made me do. Then that changed after I came to the US. I was on the premed track, which is how a lot of PhDs start out. My mentor at the Fellowship & Scholarship office told me that I needed some research experience. At that time, I didn’t even know that being a scientist was a job possibility, because back home we didn’t have labs. So that was never something I saw growing up, and neither did I think that one could make a career out of doing research. ***Q. What sparked your interest in virology?*** My very first research project was not even remotely about virology! It was on figuring out a protocol to detect heavy metals in soil samples from Greenpoint Brooklyn, and all around the world. It was a very fun project because the soil samples were used for a sculpture that was installed later in a park at Greenpoint, and the samples all came from the hometowns of immigrants who lived in the neighborhood. The reason behind this project was that the neighborhoods these samples came from were all historical sites of industry, so we were curious about how much heavy metal remains in the soil. [Zenia: Our stories are written in soil](https://www.ziemia.nyc/home) The one thing that made me interested in viruses is that not only do I identify as LGBTQ+, but growing up, there’s always been a stigma around HIV and AIDS. When I came to the US, I did not know much about HIV and AIDS, because all that was taught to me was that it’s bad, and it’s going to kill you. During one of my research positions, I met a colleague who lived with undetectable HIV, and they taught me a lot about the virus. I was shocked because I had no idea that HIV research had progressed so much that people living with HIV can lead healthy, normal lives with antiretroviral therapy. But it wasn’t until I began working as a research technician in Jonathan Lai’s lab that I got a chance to work with viruses. The lab studied dengue and Zika, and since Zika circulates where I came from, they felt very relevant to me. While I was working on developing a vaccine for these viruses, I realized that I really enjoyed working with viruses and doing work that aims to either treat or prevent viral infections. That’s how I ended up in virology. ***Q. If someone handed you a magic remote that lets you relive one moment from grad school, which moment would it be?*** Bad or good? (laugh). A good moment from grad school. I was going through a hard time during my PQE with imposter syndrome, feeling like I wasn’t capable. There was a lot of anxiety around the fact that I come from an institution that serves underrepresented minorities, and I always felt like I didn’t have the same tools my peers had. Then I met with another graduate student who shares a similar history. I was able to have a conversation where I expressed exactly how I’ve been feeling, and she was able to validate these feelings because she had a similar experience. Although I am not able to return to that moment physically, I think it’s a moment I return to in my head a lot when I struggle and doubt myself, just to remember that I’m not alone in this. There are other people that feel the same way you do, and it is okay. ***Q. If your lab had a personality, how would you describe it?*** Queer, quirky, and fun. While not everyone in the lab identifies as queer, a lot of us do and everyone has a lot of respect for the LGTBQ+ community. As many people are in science, we are also very quirky! I have a fun time interacting with everyone in the lab and we all have our little moments where we make each other laugh. ***Q. If you were to pitch your lab to a new grad student, what would you say?*** The first thing I would say is that we do very fun science! We love proteins. We are offered a different level of independence that you don’t really see in other labs. There’s the freedom to do what we want to do and try what we want to try. Also the Thursday group lunches! Aaron orders lunch for everyone at the Thursday lab meeting. We’ve gotten Saloniki Greek, Dumpling House, and just a bunch of restaurants that people find and are interested in. **(Interviewer can testify. I was fed WELL during my rotation <3)** And of course we need to talk about Aaron, our PI! Aaron is supportive both in and outside of science. He doesn’t want you to worry about things that will affect your science, and he will go out of his way to make sure things are taken care of so your science can move smoothly. He’ll do anything he could to help, and it goes into personal life too. I don’t think that’s something that you’ll find with a lot of PIs – most PIs care about your science of course, but whatever else going on with your personal life, it’s your job to figure it out. That’s something about Aaron that stood out to me. As a person of color coming into a space like Harvard, I was very worried about having a PI who’s not willing to advocate. ***Q. Say everyone in your lab has to spend a day doing what you do to unwind after work. What are they in for?*** A LOT of binging TV shows. I would say that mostly, if I’ve had a long day, I just go home, and binge watch a show. That’s what they would be in for if they were to be in my shoes. Ohh, and TikTok too. The lab has a lot of interest in movies and shows, and I do fit in in that regard. I’m very into drama, horror, and sci-fi mystery shows. ***Q. In an alternate universe where science doesn't exist as a career, what would you be doing?*** But is it like science just doesn’t exist in general, or I just can’t be a scientist? That’s a really good question. I don’t know if people know this, but I am REALLY into planes. I consider myself an aviation enthusiast. So, in an alternate universe I would run operations at airports. **(Interviewer: what about planes that interests you the most?**) I think this is funny because it goes back to science, but I just find it sooo amazing that we can send tons of metal into the air and make it fly. The engineering around planes is just so amazing and I personally believe that it’s one of our greatest inventions as humans. **Q. If you were to go back in time, what notes would you leave yourself on the first day of graduate school?** Give yourself grace; it’s okay to fail sometimes; and do not compare yourself to others! --- For Lamount who once imagined becoming a chef, the journey into virology was not one he expected. Now it is difficult for him to imagine choosing any other path. As he continued to tackle difficult questions in vaccine design for viruses with pandemic potential, Lamount was able to find support and inspiration from his peers and mentors in the Schmidt lab, as well as the Harvard Virology community. *This interview was edited for length and clarity.* --- **The Fast Five:** **Coffee/tea order?** Strawberry acai energy refresher at Starbucks **Fav lab technique?** Purifying protein. **Least fav lab technique?** Cloning. Also pipetting any microscale volume - I don’t even know if that was one microliter, and is it even going into the tube?? **Favorite outbreak/pandemic movie?** World War Z (2013) **Favorite virus?** Flavivirus. It was my introduction to the virus world, so I have a different appreciation when it comes to flaviviruses. See also:- [ Benchside Conversations ](/blog-topic/benchside-conversations) Share on:- [ Facebook ](#) - [ Twitter ](#) - [ Linkedin ](#)