The interdisciplinary nature of pathology and therapeutics discovery continually fascinates me. Since becoming involved with biomedical research at an early age, I have been intrigued about immunology and molecular biology and its connection to understanding disease pathogenesis and developing novel therapeutics.

During my undergraduate co-op as a Mitacs Scholar at Amgen, I explored therapeutic antibodies and membrane proteins. Inspired by my experiences during co-op, I look forward to starting a new chapter exploring RNA-based therapeutics as a PhD student in the Biomedical Engineering program at the University of Toronto in fall 2021. I am motivated to apply my knowledge in immunology and molecular biology and collaborate with scientists to find innovative solutions to the challenges faced in biomedical research and therapeutic discovery.

Previously, my research projects focused on investigating macrophage immunometabolism, glucose metabolism in microvascular endothelial cells, the contribution of inflammation in the development of type 2 diabetes, and microRNA biomarkers for diabetes. From 2012 to 2016, I had the honour of presenting my research at the Canada-Wide Science Fair and Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, receiving top honours in both competitions.

Skills/Interests: Cell culture, protein purification, gel electrophoresis, flow cytometry, RNA isolation, RT-qPCR, microscopy, biochemical assays, diabetes, inflammatory diseases, metabolic diseases, biomarkers, nanotechnology, drug discovery