Doctoral Thesis Project:
Cardiovascular diseases have remained the leading cause of death for over 30 years globally and over 100 years in the United States, with coronary heart disease accounting for ~12.6% of US deaths in 2018. Though coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery is a very common intervention, vein grafts used in this surgery have shown poor long-term efficacy: 30-50% of coronary artery bypass vein grafts fail within 5 years. The lack of innervation may be a key contributor to graft failure, as the physiological association of arteries and autonomic innervation is not restored after CABG surgery.
My graduate research focuses on the development of a humanized innervated vascular organ chip to investigate these nerve-artery interactions. I will be discussing my recent findings at the Engineered Biomimetic Models session in my presentation titled “Reconfigurable Organ Chip for Investigating the Importance of Aortic Smooth Muscle Cells in the Nerve-Artery Environment.” Briefly, my project involved organ chip design, differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC), optimization of cell culture biomaterials, and development assays for 3D cell cultures. Our platform addresses key challenges in both the engineering design and biological aspects of organ chip development, and we are excited to apply this organ chip towards future mechanistic investigation.
Technical Skills
Cell Culture:
Molecular Biology and Cell Analyses:
Chemistry:
Device Design and Fabrication:
Staining and Microscopy:
Software/Computer:
Honors and Awards
Fellowships and Dissemination Awards:
Academic Honors:
Scholarships:
Leadership, Outreach, and Mentorship
Through my graduate research I have had the opportunity to develop several protocols for my lab. In particular, I started up my lab’s western blotting protocol, which included equipment sourcing as well as reagent and procedural optimization. I have also led the effort of humanizing my lab’s neuronal cultures by optimizing the reagents and procedures for iPSC maintenance culture, and this protocol is now used in five other projects in my lab. These experiences were very rewarding as they allowed me to gain experience in research leadership, project management, and development of clear protocols that are translatable.
During my graduate studies, I have been actively engaged in my university’s chapter of Graduate Women in Science and Engineering (GWiSE), where I have participated in outreach programs to support the involvement of women and minorities in STEM. These experiences allowed me to engage with the scientific and general communities around me, contribute to bridging gaps in science communication, and improve accessibility to STEM learning.
Throughout my journey, I have recognized the importance of STEM mentorship. Through my university’s chapter of Sigma Xi Research Honor Society, I mentored four undergraduate students in their literature research projects, and supported their preparation of review papers and posters for dissemination. Throughout my graduate work, I have mentored eight undergraduate students, including two full-time research students. I have trained my undergraduate mentees in lab skills, experimental design, and scientific communication, and supported them towards their career goals through individualized training plans. Furthermore, I have mentored the preparation of six successful university-wide undergraduate grant proposals, and each of my undergraduate mentees have contributed to work that has been disseminated. The experience of supporting my mentees on their career journeys has been extremely fulfilling and has also allowed me to gain experience with development of individualized training plans, short-term and long-term project management, and team management.
Research Interests
I have worked on several projects in both academia and industry, through which I have gained experience in cardiovascular research, tissue engineering, device development, assay development, stem cell biology, neurobiology, and molecular biology. In addition to technical skills, I have gained experience with project management and consulting, research mentorship and leadership, as well as scientific communication. In the future, I aspire to work in research and development in the bioengineering and pharmaceutical industries and make strides towards solving key challenges in human health. I am especially interested in working on translation and scalability of technologies. Additionally, I firmly believe that mentorship and inclusion in STEM will help us address inequities in our society, including inequities in access and quality of healthcare, and I look forward to participating in mentorship and outreach programs in my future roles. Overall, I am committed to developing accessible biomedical solutions with long-term efficacy and I am excited to continue my work towards this goal through internship/co-op roles in the 2025-2026 academic year and through full time research and development roles starting in 2026.