Rhea Kang, Ph.D. Email & Phone Number

Develop custom multiplex bead-based protein and genomic assays using Luminex's xMAP and xTAG Technology

• Successfully completed a meiotic DNA damage repair project through effective experimental design, execution of experiments, data analysis and interpretation of results by reviewing scientific papers, resulting in 2 manuscripts soon to be submitted for peer-review• Independently designed 2 follow-up experiments by collaborating with 3 institutional core facilities to investigate paternal aging effect on fertility, while mentoring and training 3 junior and fellow scientists• Managing Hi-C follow-up project by collaboration and developing protocol to identify intermediate structures of meiotic recombination, which will lead to additional publication

• Developed an innovative assay to study DNA damage repair pathway choices in the context of cancer chemotherapeutic agents, reproductive health and inherited diseases, independently and as part of a team, which led to over $1,900,000 in awarded funding from the NIH• Designed and executed experiments and analyzed complex data sets that contain rare genetic events across the mouse genome using statistical analysis, resulting in characterization of novel meiotic hotspot and a peer-reviewed publication • Established a novel assay with reproducible results to investigate the temporal and genetic regulation of DNA repair pathway choices during mammalian meiosis utilizing FACS, allele-specific PCR and immunofluorescence, resulting in the identification of a novel DNA repair pathway, an inter-institutional collaboration to investigate the dynamics of higher-order chromosome organization using Hi-C, a peer-reviewed publication, and over $70,000 in awarded funds• Optimized and created laboratory SOPs for genotyping to reduce the amount of mice needed and reagent cost by ~50% • Designed and tested PCR primers to improve amplification specificity for recombination assays, and developed effective gating strategies for FACS protocol to increase cell population purity up to 95% • Mentored and trained 5 junior scientists and employees on novel techniques and proper conduct of research while managing projects using strong time management and organizational skills• Demonstrated strong scientific presentation skills through 24 oral and poster presentations at scientific seminars and conferences, obtaining ~$6,000 in travel awards, and effective technical writing skills, as evidenced by 3 laboratory SOPs, a review article publication and an outstanding dissertation award• Demonstrated leadership skills as co-president of the Korean Graduate Student Association and as a member of the Graduate Program Community Standing Committee

• Production and validation of on-market molecular products for the Universal Human Reference RNA project by reproducibly extracting RNA from human cell lines as part of a cross-functional team by strictly following SOPs under cGMP/GLP/ISO regulation• Performed quality control tests using Agilent Bioanalyzer for product release, identified problems during production, and communicated with supervisor and cross-functional teams to troubleshoot• Documentation of technical reports for every assignment, and reviewed and revised internal SOPs to implement current methods

• Characterized subsets of epithelial and immune cell (naïve T-cell) populations in the mouse thymus, resulting in a peer-reviewed publication• Optimized a single-cell suspension SOP for 10-color flow cytometry experiment, and established a CD4/CD8 immunohistochemistry SOP for mouse thymus tissues

• Processed prescribed medications for customers and resolved technical/third-party issues• Provided customer satisfaction through communication and building connections, which increased the customer base by 3-fold

Doctor Of Philosophy - Phd, Biomedical Sciences

Activities and Societies: Friends of Science Park, Interview Day Volunteer, KGSA, G&E Community Committee, Summer Student Mentor

Bachelor’S Degree, Biology (B.A.); Nutritional Sciences (B.S.)

Activities and Societies: Beta Beta Beta Biology Society, The National Scholars Honor Society, UTeach Outreach