My graduate work centers on engineering novel dual-drug loaded liposomes for translational cancer therapy, with an emphasis on understanding in vitro to in vivo correlation and immune modulation of chemotherapy and immune agonists. Drug combinations were developed with considerations to drug synergy and immunogenicity, while liposomes enabled sustained release and nonspecific targeting of tumor tissues.• Participated in highly collaborative projects, including a 2-year partnership with Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories in preclinical testing of the co-loaded liposomal formulation for translational purposes. • Linked in vivo tumor response to in vitro parameters to better understand the design of successful drug combinations in liposomes. Combinations and subsequent liposomal formulations allowed for extension of survival in a highly aggressive syngenic murine breast cancer model. • Currently studying the immune effects of combined chemotherapeutics and immune agonists in liposomes for enhanced immune memory, with immune profiling by flow cytometry and cytokine analysis by ELISA. Other projects include:• Cellular backpacks for controlled polarization of adoptively transferred macrophages• Fluorescently labelled liposomes for monocyte intake and migration• Drug synergy and immunostimulation of doxorubicin and camptothecin

I served as a research mentor to several undergraduates during my research career. I trained them in cell culture techniques and cell viability assays, as well as in the operation of several analytical instruments. Additionally, I provided letters of recommendation for research funding and summer internships.

I started my graduate work at UCSB before my advisor moved the group to Harvard. At UCSB I was a graduate student in chemical engineering with Samir Mitragotri, and I worked primarily on the development of prodrugs for active liposomal loading and gained the fundamentals of good research practices. • Learned chemical conjugation and purification procedures, as well as analytical techniques like NMR, ESI-MS, and MALDI-TOF MS. • Antibody conjugation to functionalized PEGylated lipids for incorporation into potentially tumor-targeted liposomes.

I advised a chemical engineering laboratory for undergraduate students. I supervised experiments and corrected lab write-ups for 40 students on a weekly basis.Additionally, I was the primary teaching assistant for the chemical engineering course of transport processes. I held regular office hours, corrected assignments, and held exam review sessions.

In my undergraduate work I fabricated protein nanoparticles for treatment of autoimmune disorders. I characterized my particles by dynamic light scattering, and performed cellular uptake competition assays to determine how zeta potential impacted cellular endocytosis. I presented my work at the Air Products Undergraduate Research Symposium at Georgia Tech.

This was a three-semester co-op internship that alternated semesters at Georgia Tech. I primarily performed physisorption and chemisorption experiments to determine the surface area of catalysts. I also participated in quality control instrument testing and assisted in instrument training courses for company clients.