Utlilized aseptic technique in an ISO 7 cleanroom to culture neural stem cells for the production of a novel therapeutic biologic under cGMP protocols.Consulted senior research members from other teams to execute protocols to characterize stem cell expression via flow cytometry and colorimetric assays.Created structured data sets to organize historic and real-time datapoints into interactive reports to garner insights into upstream, downstream, and quality control observations.Process Development Intern:Aided in implementation of pilot scale bioreactor system for GMP pharmaceutical production.Executed experimental procedures to optimize manufacturing processes and developed analyses to characterize cell behavior during upstream batch production.

Stripped down, cleaned, and re-assembled an unused bioreactor system and trained associates on proper use of instrument.Formulated chemically defined media for expression of recombinant proteins and demonstrated elevated product yields compared to previously used tryptic broth media.Developed an appreciation for the biotechnology industry by rotating through, and training in, different company departments including QC, Enzyme Purification, R&D, FDA/ISO compliance, sales, and marketing divisions.

Assisted an industrial research laboratory team through bioreactor setup and tear down, prepping defined media, and carefully taking samples for analysis according to company SOPs.Prevented batch contamination through proper aseptic technique and gram staining quality control when workingwith target microorganisms.Enhanced workflow by maintaining stock of sterile glassware and feed lines via autoclave.

Collaborated with team of mass spectrometrists, bioinformaticians, and senior NMR technicians on NIH-funded project using novel techniques to assign sparsely labeled residues in sialyltransferase ST6Gal1.Cleaned, and analyzed reaction data captured via NMR and MS technologies.Created R scripts to generate reaction curves corresponding to different data types.

Awarded position after competitive application process with other top University undergraduate researchers.Tested and aided in the development of software to assign HSQC peaks to specific amino acid residues in sparsely labeled proteins.Wrote MATLAB scripts to parse and write data to EXCEL workbooks from national databases (e.g. Protein Data Bank and Biological Magnetic Resonance Data Bank).Presented the project findings in a final summit of approximately 50 fellows and faculty.

Investigated the oxidation rates of labeled methionine residues in sialyltransferase ST6Gal1 by monitoring the oxidative reaction of these residues with peroxide through the use of NMR and Mass Spectroscopy techniques.Learned technical aspects of cutting edge NMR technology, designed experiments, and presented the findings in the 2020 CURO symposium to approximately 500 student researchers and university faculty.