Presenting Author
University of California, San Diego
I am currently a Ph.D. candidate in Bioengineering at the University of California, San Diego, I have my M.S. in Bioengineering from University of California, San Diego, and I have my B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. My undergraduate career and research opportunities allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of electrical and biomaterials and lead me to pursue my Ph.D. in Bioengineering. I am passionate about understanding the driving forces of tumorigenesis to create effective strategies for fighting this horrible disease.
My Ph.D. work in the Jin Zhang lab utilizes fluorescent microscopy to investigate the molecular determinants of PKA RIα liquid-liquid phase separation, which is critical for cAMP compartmentation. We also investigated the non-canonical interaction between the catalytic and regulatory subunits that allow PKAcat recruitment to the RIα biomolecular condensates. Additionally, I am looking into the downstream cellular functional and signaling effects of losing RIα liquid-liquid phase separation via a point mutation that can disrupt phase separation without effecting the other functionalities of PKA.
Throughout my undergraduate career, I held several leadership positions in both student organizations and the College of Engineering. These positions taught me vital interpersonal and organizational skills. In graduate school, I became Outreach Vice President for the Bioengineering Graduate Society and facilitated the planning of our demonstrations at the San Diego Science and Engineering Festival and USA Science and Engineering Festival. While in Washington, D.C., my team talked to our representatives in congress about supporting scientific funding. It was an amazing opportunity to use our voice and participate in the governing of our country. Additionally, I am a Gordon Scholar and plan to pursue a career involving engineering leadership.