My postdoctoral work at UPenn focused on exploring the role of genetics, and gene-environment interactions on the development of complex cardiometabolic diseases. I am particularly interested in the use of high-throughput unbiased techniques, such as GWAS and next-generation sequencing, as powerful tools of discovery. Projects include the use of human evoked endotoxemia models to study genetic and transcriptomic determinants of inflammatory responses, as well as responses to dietary intervention. In parallel, I am interested in exploring the relationship between diet and the gut microbiome in modulating disease risk.

My PhD project focused on the role of gene-nutrient interactions in the Metabolic Syndrome, as part of the EU Sixth Framework LIPGENE project. Using a candidate gene approach, I explored the interaction between SNPs and habitual dietary fat consumption on the development of Metabolic Syndrome in a large prospective case-control population. In addition, I studied interactions between candidate SNPs and dietary fat modulation on insulin resistance and inflammatory biomarkers, in an intervention designed to alter the composition of saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fatty acids in subjects with the Metabolic Syndrome.

My Undergraduate thesis work focused on the role of polymorphisms in TPH1 in modulating risk of ADHD in children.

My work at the Jackson Lab focused on the role of Sf1 in gonadal sex determination in C57BL/6J (B6) mice.

As a summer student in the department of Experimental Surgery and Transplantation, I worked on several projects aimed at understanding immunologic rejection of transplanted organs and researching effective immunosuppressive therapies in the prevention of transplant rejection.