The primary efforts of my Ph.D. research are directed towards engineering chimeric transmembrane proteins for both translational and fundamental studies. Specifically, the goal of my translational research is to develop cell-derived biomaterials for specific and efficient drug delivery. To fulfill this aim, I focused on 1) engineering multifunctional transmembrane proteins for targeting cell-derived vesicles to cancer cells, and 2) decorating these vesicles with high concentrations of transmembrane channel proteins to facilitate the unloading of macromolecular drugs directly into the cytoplasm, maximizing their efficacy. Using the same chimeric proteins developed in these two projects, my research in fundamental science focuses on understanding the underlying mechanism of receptor uptake by endocytosis, an essential pathway for drug delivery vehicles to enter cells.Working as an experimentalist, I have 5+ years of wet lab experience with proficiency in mammalian cell culture, fluorescence microscopy, flow cytometry, molecular cloning, lentiviral transfection, gene editing, and protein purification. Working as a data analyst, I have performed complex analyses to microscopy data collected from mammalian cells using MATLAB. Further, I have 5+ years of experience in using Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator to create illustrations for my publications. My original research so far has been published as 7 first-authored or co-authored peer-reviewed papers with 3 more to come. During my Ph.D., I have mentored 8 undergraduate researchers, and 2 junior graduate researchers. My experience in being a team leader has taught me how to adapt to and foster a collaborative environment. I am looking to leverage my interdisciplinary background in applied and fundamental science to work as a R&D scientist in biotechnology or pharmaceutical companies. As a highly motivated individual, my goal is to make my own contribution in pushing the current therapeutic agents to the next level.