United Kingdom
I am a Lecturer (Research & Teaching Track) at the University of Glasgow School of Molecular Biosciences endeavoring to build a productive, independent scientific research career in adhesion G protein-coupled receptor (aGPCR) biology. My long-term research interests involve resolving signaling pathways downstream of aGPCRs and establishing how/if these receptors’ adhesive properties influence signaling events, and in turn whether signaling impacts synapse formation and neuronal wiring. Mutations in aGPCRs have been linked to various neuropsychiatric phenotypes, and my work will provide a basis for understanding aGPCR biology in the nervous system. OrcidID: 0000-0003-3130-3023
Advisor: Dr. Jonathan A. Javitch Previous Advisor (June 2019 - Sept 2019): Dr. Alex R.B. Thomsen (lab relocation) Activities and Societies: Columbia University Postdoc Society (CUPS), National Postdoctoral Association (NPA), New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS)
Advisors: Dr. Vsevolod V. Gurevich and Dr. T.M. Iverson
Defended: March 4th, 2019 I studied the interaction between mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and the arrestin proteins under the co-mentorship of Dr. Vsevolod (Seva) Gurevich and Dr. Tina Iverson.
September – October 2014 I used a Staphylococcus aureus osteomyelitis model to investigate the virulence of sucC and sucD mutant strains of S. auerus using cytotoxicity assays and biofilm assays under Dr. Jim Cassat. November – December 2014 I assessed whether mosaic-overexpression of ptk2.2 resembles the jawless phenotype of a morpholino knockdown of miR-27a in Danio rerio under Dr. Jim Patton. January – March 2015 I investigated the ability of arrestin3 to scaffold the ASK1-MKK4/7-JNK3 cascade using Western analysis and cell transfection assays under Dr. Vsevolod V. Gurevich. April – May 2015 I used macromolecular X-ray crystallography to study the protein SF100BR under Dr Tina M. Iverson.
Undergraduate Research Student, Wittenberg University (Aug 2011-May 2014) 1. Mentor: Dr. Jay A. Yoder, Microbiology Sept 2011-Jan 2012 Project overview: Areas with a high concentration of tick excreta result in the heaviest densities of off-host tick clusters. In the Yoder lab, I examined the response of adult females of Rhipicephalus sanguineus, a brown dog tick, to tick excreta and its major component, guanine. 2. Mentor(s): Dr. Jim Welch, Dr. Kathleen Riensel, Dr. Richard Phillips, Marine Biology May 2012 Project overview: I was selected from an application pool for a summer-intensive research course in marine biology at the Gerace Research Center in the Bahamas. Over the course of the summer, I completed a short research study on the effects of human interaction on the health of coral reef beds (Monument Reef, Sue Point, and Sand Dollar Bay and Reef) in San Salvador. 3. Mentor: Dr. Peter E. Hanson, Chemistry May 2012-Dec 2012 Project overview: I participated in a paid summer internship through the organic chemistry department that focused on green approaches to organic synthesis. My research project investigated the effects of ion-exchange resins Amberlyst-15 and Nafion in the gold-catalyzed hydration of alkynes. 4. Mentor: Dr. Michelle L. McWhorter, Developmental Biology Jan 2013-May 2014 Project overview: Zebrafish (Danio rerio) are commonly used as a model organism for developmental studies. The McWhorter lab studies nervous system development in zebrafish embryos in response to teratogens (external agents). While in the McWhorter lab, I analyzed the effect of the insecticide carbaryl on muscle development in Danio rerio using antibody staining.
Mentor: Dr. Gary S. Sayler, Microbiology, Center for Environmental Biotechnology Project overview: The Sayler lab is primarily focused on studying microbial biodegradation of organic pollutants using bioluminescent reporter gene technology. During my NSF REU, I studied cspA gene expression in the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa in response to variant temperature conditions using qRT-PCR.