• Following the merger with Upside Foods, my role expanded into the development of novel seafood cell lines and scalable tissue engineering-based bioprocesses for production of structured meat: - Created porous bioreactor-based system for growing and maturing macroscale 3D tissue in suspension format at 10% the cost of leading process and significantly higher quality. - Led team projects in which we isolated, expanded and immortalized some of the first myogenic, adipogenic and… Show more • Following the merger with Upside Foods, my role expanded into the development of novel seafood cell lines and scalable tissue engineering-based bioprocesses for production of structured meat: - Created porous bioreactor-based system for growing and maturing macroscale 3D tissue in suspension format at 10% the cost of leading process and significantly higher quality. - Led team projects in which we isolated, expanded and immortalized some of the first myogenic, adipogenic and hepatogenic primary cell lines from high-value fish and mammal species.- Led inter-department collaboration in which we evaluated scalable pipelines to grow and differentiate fish and mammalian tissues and match the compositional profiles to native tissue.- Invented method and filed patent to produce striated meat tissue at large scale.• Additional activities: - Hired and interviewed new research candidates. - Trained and mentored new science members; supervised and managed junior researchers. - Oversaw the setup of lab spaces and equipment in new research facility. - Functioned as resident expert in the lab’s SOP’s and analytical instrumentation (FACS / flow cytometry, microscopy, spectroscopy, bioanalyzers, etc.). - Fostered and maintained collaborations throughout the company and with outside experts to coordinate research efforts and implement new findings. Show less

• As one of the first 2 founding science members, we built an extensive intellectual property (IP) portfolio for creating cultivated (cell-cultured) seafood.• I led several research projects of underresearched marine invertebrate species and generated intellectual property that led to the company’s acquisition by Upside Foods in 2022: - Created and implemented SOPs for isolating, maintaining, and preserving primary cultures from various invertebrate species and tissue sources. -… Show more • As one of the first 2 founding science members, we built an extensive intellectual property (IP) portfolio for creating cultivated (cell-cultured) seafood.• I led several research projects of underresearched marine invertebrate species and generated intellectual property that led to the company’s acquisition by Upside Foods in 2022: - Created and implemented SOPs for isolating, maintaining, and preserving primary cultures from various invertebrate species and tissue sources. - Designed and built scaffold technology for engineering structured 3D muscle tissue. - Optimized crustacean culture media for difficult cell types via bioinformatics-driven exploration of metabolic and cell cycle signaling pathways and factorial analyses. - Developed assays for profiling, sorting and characterizing heterogeneous crustacean cell populations. - Oversaw the writing and revising of NSF SBIR grant on crustacean cell reprogramming.• Additional activities: - Collaborated and consulted on virtually every research project. - Participated in the interviewing and selection of employment candidates. - Trained and mentored new science members. - Organized and implemented our ordering and stock management system. - Facilitated CRO collaborations. Show less

I managed a project where we developed a technology platform to produce hydrogel scaffolds that model the salient physical properties of human tissue. We validated and optimized the platform’s fabrication hardware, production workflows and scaffold qualities. As proof-of concept, we used these scaffolds to study MSC mechanotransduction, and developed criteria for using mechanical stimuli to control cell volume regulation, contractile force generation and therapeutic activation… Show more I managed a project where we developed a technology platform to produce hydrogel scaffolds that model the salient physical properties of human tissue. We validated and optimized the platform’s fabrication hardware, production workflows and scaffold qualities. As proof-of concept, we used these scaffolds to study MSC mechanotransduction, and developed criteria for using mechanical stimuli to control cell volume regulation, contractile force generation and therapeutic activation. In addition to completing a rigorous thesis, I authored a publication using our platform, and co-authored a perspective article on leveraging biomaterials to improve stem cell / iPSC applications in tissue engineering. Show less

As the TA for the Materials in Bioengineering (BIOE 460) course, I had the opportunity to mentor both graduate and undergraduate students on understanding and characterizing physiological responses to implantable materials and designing innovative biomaterial-based strategies for addressing various medical conditions. I also directly supported the professor by creating teaching materials, delivering lectures and grading coursework.

As a research specialist, I collaborated with a 10-member research team to understand and improve the efficiency of reprogramming mammalian somatic cells into stem cells via epigenetic regulation. I was in charge of the development, maintenance and documentation of many concurrent molecular/biochemical experiments--including cell culture, genetic modifications, protein purification, fluorescence microscopy and various assays. As manager of our BSL-2 lab, I oversaw lab operations… Show more As a research specialist, I collaborated with a 10-member research team to understand and improve the efficiency of reprogramming mammalian somatic cells into stem cells via epigenetic regulation. I was in charge of the development, maintenance and documentation of many concurrent molecular/biochemical experiments--including cell culture, genetic modifications, protein purification, fluorescence microscopy and various assays. As manager of our BSL-2 lab, I oversaw lab operations including supply maintenance, standards and certifications, and coordination of equipment repairs. I was also responsible for the care of 15 distinct mouse strains comprising a colony of 50-100 specimens. I trained several of our lab members in handling mice, maintaining genetic mouse models, and isolating and expanding primary cells using aseptic techniques. Show less

As the senior research assistant under Dr. Jennifer Klein, I designed computational experiments to investigate how oxidants perturb the structural dynamics of proteins and contribute to muscle aging. I developed workflows to model protein structures, conduct large molecular dynamics simulations via high-throughput computing, and identify any unexpected structural changes. At that time, I was able to generate some of the longest timescale simulations at atomic resolution, which… Show more As the senior research assistant under Dr. Jennifer Klein, I designed computational experiments to investigate how oxidants perturb the structural dynamics of proteins and contribute to muscle aging. I developed workflows to model protein structures, conduct large molecular dynamics simulations via high-throughput computing, and identify any unexpected structural changes. At that time, I was able to generate some of the longest timescale simulations at atomic resolution, which generated a significant amount of insight into the structural transitions of our protein of interest (calmodulin). Analysis of these simulations uncovered previously-unknown changes in protein structure that became the basis for an awarded grant and an in-depth study. Show less