Teaching
My approach to teaching and mentoring is to ExCITE learning through Experience-based, Collaborative, Inclusive, Transparent, and Engaging learning environments. To provide transformational experiences and inspire students to become lifetime learners, I aim to prepare students not only to master the material conceptually but also to understand and engage with practical examples and relevant scholarly research. As an educator, I will teach students to innovate in the face of complex challenges while collaborating with peers of diverse backgrounds as active citizens of the world. Furthermore, I will establish a culture of equality and transparency so that students feel welcomed, valued, and supported in their learning and community. With the ever-changing landscape of education in and out of the classroom, the use of technology will continue to play a central role in learning and allow the opportunity to engage with a more diverse group of students who had previously been underserved. In addition to providing access through technology, I will use online and social media tools to evolve my teaching by providing transparency in grading, asking for constant feedback, and building a flexible and collaborative learning environment. As a future professor, I will focus on current and classical concepts in engineering while also challenging my students to apply interdisciplinary connections in the arts, humanities, and science to innovative and ethical solutions for addressing the most pressing societal needs.
In the Classroom: Throughout my academic journey, I have found a teaching style that balances real-world applications and theory to be the most rewarding. For example, my postdoctoral position in ophthalmology highlighted the applicability of fluid dynamics in modeling glaucoma. Such connections can help students engage in their learning, making classical theories resonate more profoundly. My curriculum will incorporate projects that extend this blend of theory and application while also focusing on teamwork, collaboration, and the application of new, relevant technologies, like artificial intelligence and virtual reality.
In the Lab: My vision for the lab is one of inclusivity, collaboration, and support. Having completed formal mentorship training at HMS, I have the tools to guide my trainees toward their career goals. I will maintain an open-door policy to support open communication and actively engage in the lab to enhance operational efficiency. I will have structured group meetings and individual meetings to ensure that every trainee’s progress is monitored. I also see great value in offering my trainees avenues for professional development, like attending conferences and workshops, aiding their growth and networking endeavors.
Having mentored diverse groups, from high schoolers to undergraduates to research technicians, I appreciate the richness that different backgrounds bring to the research domain. As I establish my research group, it will be a melting pot of interdisciplinary talent—undergraduates, graduates, and postdocs—all converging to tackle complex challenges. This inclusivity will be a cornerstone of my lab’s ethos.
In the Community: Outside the lab, sharing our findings with a broader audience is pivotal. My experiences as a speaker, judge, and researcher have underlined the importance of reaching beyond the lab, advocating for diverse perspectives, and collaborating broadly. I have passionately advocated for increased representation in academia, understanding that diverse insights spur groundbreaking hypotheses. My community involvement is multi-pronged, from chairing sessions at national conferences to actively participating in vision restoration consortia. Engaging with the broader scientific community and the public remains central to my mission, ensuring our advancements have a far-reaching impact.
Teaching of Students in Courses:
| Year(s) | Course Title | Location |
| 2015 – 2016 | Unit Operations Transport Phenomena Lab | Northeastern University |
| Undergraduate Students | 20 hours/week for 2 semesters | |
| 2021 | Molecular Pathology & Current Therapies for Retinal Diseases | Harvard Medical School |
| Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Fellows | 2 hours for 1 lecture |
Laboratory and Other Research Supervisory and Training Responsibilities:
| Year(s) | Type of responsibility/Location | Level of Effort |
| 2016 | Graduate advisor of undergraduate students working on an iGEM summer research project/Northeastern University | Hands-on training for 4 – 6 hours/week for the summer |
| 2018 – 2019 | Graduate mentor for high school students participating in the Young Scholar Program/Northeastern University | One-on-one training and daily supervision of 4 high school students for 20 hours/week for the summer |
| 2016 – 2020 | Graduate mentor for undergraduate students in the lab of Ryan Koppes/Northeastern University | One-on-one training and mentorship for 13 undergraduate students on an ongoing basis |
| 2016 – 2020 | Supervision and training of new graduate students and postdoc fellows on standard lab protocols in the labs of Abigail Koppes and Ryan Koppes/Northeastern University | One-on-one training for 2 – 3 hours/week during the fall semesters |
| 2016 – 2020 | Training undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoc fellows on the usage of the Zeiss Axio Observer Z1, Multichannel Systems multielectrode arrays, and TA Instruments Electroforce Universal Load Frame in the SPARK lab/Northeastern University | One-on-one training for 2 – 4 hours for each new user (> 50 users) on each system |
| 2020 – present | Postdoc mentor for research technicians in the lab of Petr Baranov/Schepens Eye Research Institute | One-on-one training and mentorship for 2 research technicians on an ongoing basis |
| 2020 – present | Supervision and training of new postdoc fellows and visiting scholars on standard lab protocols in the lab of Petr Baranov/Schepens Eye Research Institute | One-on-one training for 2 – 3 hours/week throughout the year |