I am a self-motivated, fast learner seeking to transition from academia to industry. I love working on team-based collaborations.
With a Ph.D. in molecular biophysics, a Ph.D. minor in education, and a Bachelor’s of Engineering, I have a multi-disciplinary background. I have three years of computational biology, Python programming, and open-source tool-development experience, as well as ten years of wet lab experience. I hope to use my diverse background in science, engineering, and communications to tackle interdisciplinary challenges.
I joined Exscientia during Fall 2021 as a Cheminformatic Research Engineer. Since joining I have worked on internal software solutions that service hundreds of chemists and drug designers. Working on a large international team has been highly rewarding. I’ve worked on projects ranging from core cheminformatics toolkits to generative design algorithms.
Exscientia has encouraged me to pursue my interests such as taking Machine Learning/Artificial Intellegence courses, develop an internship program for the US, and lead teams on cheminformatic projects.
Additionally, I serve as the cheminformatic expert on a drug design team.
Following the completion of my PhD I joined Workflow Informatics as a Research Informatics Consultant and was eventually promoted to VP of Product Development.
While at Workflow Informatics, I worked directly with clients on their cheminformatic and lab informatic needs. This included a wide ranges of needs of cheminformatic workflows, data management, data processing, data visualization intergration, Spotfire/StarDrop/Pipeline Pilot custom solutions… My clients ranged from small start-ups to multi-national pharma conglomerates.
As VP of Product Development, I oversaw our line of software products and customizable solutions, as well of a small team of consultants and developers.
Following the passing of my first thesis advisor Dr. Roger Hendrix, I completed my doctoral research in Dr. Jacob Durrant’s lab. My research interests while in the Durrant lab included cheminformatics, computer-aided drug design (CADD), homology modeling, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, genetic algorithms, and open-source software development.
My main project was developing an open-source program for de novo CADD called AutoGrow4. I applied AutoGrow4 to predict novel candidate inhibitors to the protein poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1). I also produced several cheminformatic and CADD programs, and studied several biological targets including the arrestin protein family and CDC-73.
In addition to my research experience, I became interested in pedagogy and scientific communication. I completed my Ph.D. Minor in Teaching at the University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Biological Sciences in 2020. Please see the Teaching page for more details.
I began my Ph.D. studies in 2013 in the Molecular Biophysics and Structural Biology (MBSB) program that is shared between the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University. During my early years in the program, I had the opportunity to rotate in multiple labs studying biochemistry, biology, and biophysics. I ultimately selected the lab of Dr. Roger Hendrix at the University of Pittsburgh.
In the Hendrix lab I studied bacteriophage biology and structural virology. I gained hands-on training in X-ray crystallography, electron microscopy (EM), biochemistry, protein purification, plasmid engineering, and molecular genetics. My main project was studying the assembly of bacteriophage λ tail, with a focus on the structure and function of the tail chaperone proteins gpG and gpGT. Additionally, I completed a project studying a ribosomal bypass event in the translation of the terminase gene of Streptomyces infecting phage, φHau3.
Dr. Hendrix passed away unexpectedly in 2017, and so I transitioned into the lab of Dr. Jacob Durrant at the University of Pittsburgh to complete my studies.
In 2013, I obtained my Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng.) from Stony Brook University (Stony Brook, NY) in Biomedical Engineering with a focus in Cellular and Molecular Biology. From 2011 until 2013 I worked in the research lab of Dr. Balaji Sitharaman.
While in the Sitharaman lab, I worked on several projects involved in generating and utilizing graphene nanoparticles for drug delivery. I gained experience working with cancer cell culture. My main project focused on designing an alternative exfoliation protocol for producing graphene sheets from graphite.
My first research position was as a high school researcher in the lab of Dr. Jonathan Sebat at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL). During this time I gained experience working with microarray and traditional biology wet-lab techniques to study polymorphisms. I assisted the lab’s effort to understand the underlying causes of neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and autism, with a particular interest in the effects of copy number variations (CNVs).
While at CSHL, I also designed and executed an independent research project that was a Semi-Finalist in the 2009 Intel Science Competition. My project was a population genetics study that analyzed the distribution of taste receptors across the world.
I began working with the Autistic community in 2005 by providing respite and res-hab care to autistic children. This included reinforcing sign language skills, Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), and collaboration with doctors, therapists, teachers and parents to design and implement behavior modification plans.
In my free-time I am a musician and luthier. My primary instrument is guitar and I enjoy playing jam-band, jazz, bluegrass, and rock music–genres that enable collaborative improvisation. I love building and repairing instruments. There is something satisfying about taking a broken instrument and making it sing once again.
I volunteer with DataKind, an organization which coordinates volunteer data scientists with charities and community projects. Recently, I have been working on an American Red Cross project that seeks to improve fire saftey by predicting factors that correlate with high risk of fires.
Since 2014, I have served as the Manager of Scholastic Development for the International Fraternity for Engineering, Sigma Phi Delta. In this position, I have overseen the scholastic performance of 23 ungraduate chapters.