Experience

Caltech

• United States
• Research Services
• 700 & Above Employee

• Graduate Student Researcher (NIH Predoctoral Fellow)

  • Sep 2018 - Present

  5th year graduate student in the BBE Division (Biology Option - Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience Track). Currently working in the lab of National Academy of Sciences member Paul W Sternberg studying the neurobiology of developmental decision-making in the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans• Solved fundamental questions in developmental neurobiology relating to how animals integrate sensory inputs to make developmental decisions, how neuron activity relates to neuronal gene expression, and how neurons use endocrine signals to communicate• Wrote and received a prestigious F31 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH)• Developed proficiency in molecular cloning, genome editing, animal behavioral assays, neuronal perturbation methods, single cell RNA-sequencing analysis, exhaustive literature reviews, and data visualization methods • Collaborated with a lab at Northeastern University to study perceptual decision making using cutting edge neuronal imaging techniques; efforts led to a grant application at the National Institutes of Health• Developed new management systems for our lab to coordinate lab purchases, biological reagent inventory, and lab tasks Show less

• DEI Committee Member

  • Apr 2022 - Present

  Collaborated with a team of over 10 students and faculty to address critical DEI issues for >500 Biology students. Designed and drove a new program by which lab members create and share presentations on concerns regarding inclusion and diversity in STEM. Worked to increase rate of URM applicants to Caltech BBE Graduate program to bolster representation amongst graduate students.

• Resident Associate

  • Jun 2019 - Present

  • Managed a residential house of 120 undergraduates by providing academic mentorship, organizing educational events, and mediating conflicts between students; collaborated with a team of 30 to oversee all Caltech undergrads• Developed a new cloud-based note-taking system for our team to monitor student well-being; the increased efficiency resulted in upper management adopting this system and requiring it to be used across Caltech



L.E.K. Consulting

• United States
• Business Consulting and Services
• 700 & Above Employee

• Link to L.E.K.

  • May 2023 - May 2023

  Collaborated with a team of 6 to advise a hypothetical biopharmaceutical company on a mid-cap acquisition strategy to shore up impending revenue loss from patent expiry Collaborated with a team of 6 to advise a hypothetical biopharmaceutical company on a mid-cap acquisition strategy to shore up impending revenue loss from patent expiry



Pomona College

• United States
• Higher Education
• 700 & Above Employee

• Lab Manager & Research Assistant

  • Aug 2017 - Jul 2018

  • Initiated new investigations to identify and characterize mechanisms of genetic regulation of the sugar transport protein MtlA in Vibrio cholerae• Oversaw student projects by providing guidance for experimental design and technical procedure• Managed laboratory supplies, equipment, and reagent stocks• Employed molecular cloning techniques (plasmid design, overlap extension PCR, transformation by electroporation, suicide vector conjugation) to construct relevant Vibrio cholerae and Escherichia coli mutant strains carrying point-mutations, gene knockouts, epitope-tags, and/or overexpression plasmids Show less

• Undergraduate Research Assistant

  • May 2016 - Jul 2017

  • Project goal: explore sRNA-mediated regulation of the sugar transport protein MtlA in Vibrio cholerae • Designed and performed assays including western blots, northern blots, β-galactosidase assays, agarose gels, and GFP translational fusion reporter assays to explore gene regulation at the transcriptional, post-transcriptional, and post-translational level

• Lead Teaching Fellow, Organic Chemistry

  • Jan 2016 - May 2017

  • Hosted problem-solving workshops for all three class sections of organic chemistry (100 students) to guide them through sample exercises• Designed problem sets and practice exams in coordination with professors to provide comprehensive practice resources for students • Met with students individually outside of class to provide personalized feedback and instruction



UCL

• United Kingdom
• Research Services
• 700 & Above Employee

• Research Associate

  • Aug 2015 - Dec 2015

  * Project goal: determine the oligomerization state of the transcription factor TFE in Haloferax volcanii * Engineered, expressed, and purified variants of an archaeal transcription factor using Escherichia coli as the heterologous expression system * Ran co-purification assays using Ni-affinity columns and gel filtration columns to assess for transcription factor subunit dimerization * Prepared and analyzed mass spectrometry samples to test for metal binding in a transcription factor * Project goal: determine the oligomerization state of the transcription factor TFE in Haloferax volcanii * Engineered, expressed, and purified variants of an archaeal transcription factor using Escherichia coli as the heterologous expression system * Ran co-purification assays using Ni-affinity columns and gel filtration columns to assess for transcription factor subunit dimerization * Prepared and analyzed mass spectrometry samples to test for metal binding in a transcription factor



Breakthrough Collaborative

• United States
• Non-profit Organization Management
• 100 - 200 Employee

• Teaching Fellow (Biology)

  • Jun 2015 - Aug 2015

  • Collaborated with biology teaching team to curate an objective-based curriculum covering cell, molecular, ecological, and evolutionary biology to a class of 100 incoming 9th grade students from underrepresented ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds • Led hands-on laboratory exercises including rat dissections and DNA extractions • Organized a teaching fellow committee responsible for planning daily school-wide assemblies • Collaborated with biology teaching team to curate an objective-based curriculum covering cell, molecular, ecological, and evolutionary biology to a class of 100 incoming 9th grade students from underrepresented ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds • Led hands-on laboratory exercises including rat dissections and DNA extractions • Organized a teaching fellow committee responsible for planning daily school-wide assemblies



Breakthrough Collaborative

• United States
• Non-profit Organization Management
• 100 - 200 Employee

• Teaching Fellow (Literature)

  • Jun 2014 - Aug 2014

  • Developed and executed lesson plans for 7th grade literature and a self-designed elective class built on logic puzzles and team-based strategizing • Developed and executed lesson plans for 7th grade literature and a self-designed elective class built on logic puzzles and team-based strategizing