Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
I am a Drexel University graduate with a B.S. in Biological Sciences who has been working in the biotechnology industry for over 5 years now. I have mainly focused on R&D projects related to immunology, virology, and molecular biology. I am now pursuing my PhD at Cornell University to further curate my independence as a researcher. I am particularly passionate about driving scientific discovery with the goal of making better, more effective therapeutics. I would love to collaborate with other like-minded individuals!
I volunteered in the Russell Lab at Drexel University for a large majority of my undergraduate career. The lab focuses on symbiont-host interactions in Cephalotes Varians ants and aphids. During my time in the lab, my projects focused on quantification and characterization of nutritive enzyme activity in Cephalotes Varians ants provided by their extracellular gut symbionts. Through my work in the lab, I gained important benchwork and bioinformatics skills, including molecular biology (PCR, primer design, RT-qPCR) and the utilization of databases (KEGG, JGI, etc). I also received an undergraduate research grant for my work in the lab and presented my project during the Undergraduate Week of Excellence in 2022.
During my first co-op at Drexel University, I worked in a lab in the dermatology department at Thomas Jefferson University that focused their research on ectopic calcification. The work was remote due to the pandemic, but I was still able to earn a certification to work with laboratory mice, learn how to analyze microCT images, and do many hours of independent research on succinate efflux to assist the lab. This job was a great learning experience and taught me how to be resilient and flexible in my work.