Experience

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  Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard

  • United States
  • Research Services
  • 700 & Above Employee

  • Group Leader, Research Scientist at the Broad Institute PRISM Lab

    • Nov 2023 - Present

  • Senior Research Scientist I at the Broad Institute PRISM Lab

    • Apr 2022 - Nov 2023

    As a PRISM Assay Development Senior Research Scientist, I support the PRISM R&D efforts through planning and execution, writing grant proposals, and mentoring junior members of the team.

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  Brown University

  • United States
  • Higher Education
  • 700 & Above Employee

  • Adjunct Assistant Professor (Research)

    • Apr 2022 - Present

  • Assistant Professor (Research)

    • Feb 2018 - Apr 2022

    I am an Assistant Professor (Research) in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Brown University with research interests in tissue engineering, pharmacology, and toxicity testing. My three main focuses are the following:1) Developing human in vitro platforms that mimic the physiology of disease, toxicology, and development, for investigating physiological impacts of drugs, dietary nutrients, and environmental toxicants. 2) Engineering platforms for building and maintaining cellular viability of large (in centimeter scale) and physiologically dense transplantable tissues. 3) Developing biomaterials from in vitro tissue for improving tissue repair.

  • Visiting Scholar

    • Jun 2017 - Feb 2018

  • Postdoctoral Research Associate

    • Apr 2015 - Jun 2017

    Jeffrey Morgan Lab Bio-Pick, Place, and Perfuse (BioP3): A New Instrument for 3D Tissue Engineering 3D human liver cultureLead NSF-funded project and manage a technical team of biologists and engineers to build the semi-automated instrument to additively bioengineer large 3D human tissues (specialized in liver cells, cells in hundreds of million). This innovative technology when optimized, can be applied in numerous biotechnology and research settings. I collaborate with colleagues and mentor students to develop and execute novel 3D tissue engineering approaches, as well as mathematical modeling, biochemical and imaging techniques to study 3D cell/tissue function and drug metabolism.My skills include but not limited to bioengineering of human tissues, pharmacological testing, SolidWorks, 3D printing, mathematical modeling. I am also actively involved in developing high-throughput 3D in vitro systems for drug discovery.

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  Ritual

  • Advisor and consultant

    • Feb 2018 - Present

  • Director of Scientific Affairs

    • Apr 2017 - Feb 2018

    FDA 21CFR111 trained, manage/support R&D, QA/QC, cGMP/regulatory needs of existing and future products; maintaining liaison with manufacturers, suppliers, laboratories and legal counsel to sustain product quality; lead scientific-based substantiation efforts; facilitate efforts in formulating and conducting clinical trials; translating scientific knowledge to support business marketing efforts.

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  The Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University

  • Lecturer

    • Sep 2016 - Aug 2018

    Lecturer for Master of Nutrition Science and Policy Blended Learning Program.Recorded lectures for the program; facilitate online and on campus discussions.

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  PepsiCo

  • Contract Nutrition Scientist

    • May 2014 - Jun 2017

    Conducted work to inform specific PepsiCo nutrition initiatives and supported the beverages, and global grains groups.I facilitate the translation nutrition science into product renovation and innovation.Provide assistance in clinical research.Received certificate in Essential Good Clinical Practice - 10/2015

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  American Society of Nutrition

  • Postdoctoral Representative for ASN Obesity Research Interest Section

    • Jun 2014 - May 2015

    Help create the Obesity Research Interest Section group on Linkedin, and initiate active discussions.I co-chaired with Dr. Mark Cope at the ASN EB2015 session on "Obesity: Childhood Obesity Management"​.I facilitated the organization of the ASN session at Obesity Week 2015 titled "Browning of white fat; challenges and promises"​? with Prof. Labros Sidoss. https://www.linkedin.com/groups/Obesity-Research-Interest-Section-8157180/about

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  Boston University School of Medicine

  • Greater Boston Area

  • Postdoctoral Fellow

    • Jul 2014 - Apr 2015
    • Greater Boston Area

    Immunometabolism; B cell and T cell functional analyses from type 2 diabetes patients; roles for lymphocyte-associated changes in disease pathogenesis; combination of ” bench to bedside” and “bedside to bench” approaches.Collaborated with physicians and students to examine oncogenic/inflammatory/metabolic phenotypes of obese-healthy and diabetic patients; extensive cell culture experience including primary mononuclear cell and lymphocyte isolation from blood and tissue; developed and executed new multicolor flow cytometry methods, cell sorting, metabolic measurements (Seahorse Biosciences), antibody-based techniques including multiplex platforms and ELISA, bioinformatics techniques for analyzing large datasets.

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  The Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University

  • United States
  • Higher Education
  • 200 - 300 Employee

  • Postdoctoral Fellow

    • Apr 2014 - Jun 2014

  • Graduate Research Fellow - Ph.D. candidate

    • Sep 2010 - Jun 2014

    Elucidated the potential interactions and mechanisms between nutrition (lycopene), obesity and liver cancer.Probing lycopene modulated pathways in cell and murine models using molecular analyses of in vitro, and in vivo samples. Methods including but not limited to in vivo study design, lab animal husbandry and necropsy, qRT-PCR; western blots; HPLC on carotenoids; histology and immunostaining; ELISA, Statistical Analysis (SAS programming)

  • Guest Lecturer - 1 graduate level and 1 undergraduate level class

    • Apr 2013 - Apr 2014

    Fundamentals of Nutrition Science (Graduate) - Diet and Chronic DiseasesHuman Nutrition (Undergraduate) - Diet and Chronic Diseases

  • Teaching Assistant - 5 graduate level classes and 1 undergraduate level class

    • 2011 - Dec 2013

    Graduate Biochemistry, Intro to SAS, Nutrition Biochemistry of Macronutrients (graduate), Nutrition Biochemistry of Micronutrients (graduate), Human Nutrition (graduate), Intro to Nutrition (undergraduate),

  • Journal Club Leader for Biochemical and Molecular Nutrition Program

    • 2011 - 2012

    Lead active discussion with fellow students on numerous nutrition-related topics.Facilitate and cultivate an active learning environment for both presentation and research skillsets.

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  Tufts University School of Medicine

  • Boston Public Schools and Tufts University School of Medicine

  • Curriculum Development and Instructor

    • Oct 2012 - May 2013
    • Boston Public Schools and Tufts University School of Medicine

    Funded by the Science Education Partnership Award (NIH), this is a project to develop a collaborative approach to real-World science in the classroom.Updating high school science curriculum through a collaborative between faculty, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students at the Tufts University School of Medicine and high school science teachers in the Boston Public School District.

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  Japonaise Bakery

  • Greater Boston Area

  • Pastry Chef

    • Jan 2009 - Jun 2010
    • Greater Boston Area

    Pastry making, from petit fours to celebratory cakes

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  Tufts University

  • Greater Boston Area

  • Laboratory Manager

    • 2006 - 2010
    • Greater Boston Area

    Managed daily laboratory function and lab supply budget; work with vendors; solid phase separation and gas chromatography for lipids for clinical and experimental samples

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  University of Toronto

  • Canada
  • Higher Education
  • 700 & Above Employee

  • Research Assistant

    • 2004 - 2005

    Department of Nutrition - investigated short chain fatty acids in plasma samples- glycemic index in foods

  • Research Assistant and Statistics Analyst

    • 2003 - 2005

    At the Department of Public Health, for Ontario Familial Colorectal Cancer Registry (OFCCR) Dietary QuestionnaireDeveloped and utilized extensive SAS programming skills for data management and statistical analysis.

  • Research Assistant

    • 2004 - 2004

    Department of Nutrition Sciences- Research in Nutrition and Alzheimer’s Disease in elderly