Protein engineering and design

Mentor: Patrick BarthThesis: Reprogramming G Protein-Coupled Receptor Structure, Function And Signaling By Computational Design*Responsibilities Included:•Utilizing computational techniques (Rosetta and normal mode analysis) to design novel dopamine D2 receptor variants with altered signaling characteristics• Validating in silico designs experimentally using cell-based assays and in vitro radiological assays• Set up and optimized multiple BRET-based assays, which are currently integral to the lab, for the detection of GPCR signaling• Established other wet-lab protocols• Wrote numerous python scripts for the lab for experimental and computational data analysis and management• Independently managed multiple computational and experimental projects• Set up wet-lab and heavily involved in lab equipment purchase decisions• Trained new lab members• Published (and publishing) multiple high-impact papers*Nominated for the EPFL doctorate award for outstanding doctoral thesis

Mentor: Patrick BarthThesis: Reprogramming G Protein-Coupled Receptor Structure, Function And Signaling By Computational DesignResponsibilities Included:•Utilizing computational techniques (Rosetta and normal mode analysis) to design novel dopamine D2 receptor variants with altered signaling characteristics• Validating in silico designs experimentally using cell-based assays and in vitro radiological assays• Performing bioinformatic analyses on extant GPCR single nucleotide polymorphisms• Directed multiple projects independently• Managed wet-lab inventory

Supported cell culture operations for the production of a bulk drug (biologics) substance. Set up, operated, maintained, and disassembled equipment such as bioreactors, tanks, filtration systems, and production lines. Operated general production equipment. Monitored and recorded critical process parameters.

Maintained and propagated human neural stem cell (hNSC) lines. Performed cytotoxicity studies and antioxidation experiments on hNSC’s utilizing LDH and MTS assays, both of which rely on UV/Vis spectroscopy

Performed organic chemical syntheses with the goal of creating analogs of the organic molecule curcumin, a substance with known anticancer properties.