About
Neurological disorders can affect memory, autonomic responses, locomotion, and how we preserve the world. My fascination with the visual system stems from my neurodevelopmental problems caused by the late treatment of a congenital cataract in my left eye. When cataract surgery is performed in newborns and adults, vision is often completely restored; however, my delay in treatment resulted in limited visual acuity. Despite current advances in understanding the visual system, there remain no effective strategies to restore vision once lost. With a vested interest in visual neurodevelopment and a strong cross-disciplinary background in chemical and biomedical engineering, I aim to engineer new systems to investigate the connections between the retina, optic nerve, and visual cortex and advance therapies for treating vision loss. As a postdoctoral fellow in Petr Baranov’s lab at Massachusetts Eye and Ear, the same hospital I received eye surgery nearly 25 years ago, I am studying retinal cell migration and synaptogenesis for improving cell replacement therapies.
Outside of the lab, I am an avid runner, rock climber, ultimate frisbee player, and coffee enthusiast. 🏃♂️🧗♂️🥏☕
CV
Updated 10/11/2023
Awards & Honors
| National Eye Institute Research in Emerging Areas Critical to Human Health Loan Repayment Program Award ($13,232) | July 2022 - June 2024 |
| Knights Templar Eye Foundation Travel Grant ($750) | May 2022 |
| RReSTORe Consortium Emerging Vision Scientist Travel Grant ($1000) | April 2022 |
| National Eye Institute NRSA F32 Postdoctoral Fellowship ($209,046) | February 2022 |
| ISER/BrightFocus Glaucoma Symposia Travel Award ($1600) | August 2021 |
| NC State Building Future Faculty Program Participant | April 2021 |
| Retina Research Foundation/Joseph M. and Eula C. Lawrence Travel Grant ($200) | March 2021 |
| Molecular Bases of Eye Disease Postdoctoral Fellowship ($52,704) | October 2020 |
| American Institute of Chemists Student Award | April 2020 |
| NEU Department of Chemical Engineering Most First Author Publications Award ($25) | April 2020 |
| Northeastern PhD Network Travel Grant ($500) | November 2019 |
| Stanford Postdoctoral Recruitment Initiative in Sciences and Medicine (PRISM) Participant | October 2019 |
| Invited Speaker at Smart-Ephys Meeting (Cambridge, MA) | June 2019 |
| NEU College of Engineering 2019 Outstanding Graduate Research Award ($250) | April 2019 |
| American Heart Association Predoctoral Fellowship ($26,844) | January 2019 |
| Northeastern PhD Network Travel Grant ($500) | November 2018 |
| NEU Graduate Student Government Conference Award ($375) | October 2017 |
| Boston Biomaterials Day Best Oral Presentation ($100) | March 2017 |
| NEU Graduate Student Government Conference Award ($375) | October 2016 |
| Rensselaer Undergraduate Research Award ($800) | September 2013 |
| Rensselaer Medal Scholarship Award ($60,000) | September 2011 |
Professional Societies
- Omega Chi Epsilon (OΧΕ), Chemical Engineering Honor Society
- American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE)
- Materials Research Society (MRS)
- American Heart Association (AHA)
- Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES)
- Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO)
- International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR)