➤ Performed immersive laboratory investigations centered on antigen-antibody interactions, leveraging ELISA, LFA, and biochemical extraction methodologies. Analyzed resulting data with precision, aiming to refine and optimize existing techniques for enhanced outcomes.➤ Engineered an innovative electrochemical apparatus tailored for precise toxin detection within our samples. Employed cutting-edge design software like AUTOCAD and SolidWorks to craft a bespoke 3D cassette, subsequently fabricated through advanced 3D printing technologies. Developed a streamlined lateral flow assay and meticulously optimized protocols across all parameters to ensure peak performance.➤ As the project lead overseeing the design of an electrochemical sensing device, I spearheaded a range of responsibilities. These encompassed extensive research to determine the most effective design strategies, procurement of necessary supplies, hands-on construction of the device, and meticulous optimization of its parameters for peak functionality.➤ Performed electrochemical measurements on the device I fabricated, utilizing a potentiostat to fine-tune the sensitivity for optimal performance.➤ Delivered weekly dynamic presentations encompassing pertinent research findings, laboratory discoveries, and meticulous optimization analyses. Furthermore, adeptly applied my technical writing prowess in crafting comprehensive report papers essential for securing grants.

This description was provided by PhD supervisor Elisabeth Prince. The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a network of branching protein nanofibers. Yet, tissue engineering largely relies on contrived synthetic polymer hydrogels that fail to mimic the nanofilamentous architecture of the ECM. To address this shortcoming, the student will design synthetic injectable hydrogels for tissue engineering that recapitulate the nanofilamentous architecture of the ECM. Biological filamentous networks, including actin, collagen, and fibrin, assemble through the supramolecular bundling of anisotropic protein building blocks into fibers that branch and entangle to form a network. To recreate this process in a synthetic material, the student will:➤ Design bottlebrush polymer building blocks that can bundle through supramolecular interactions into a fibrillar network.➤ Furthermore, by synthetically modulating the bottlebrush polymer building blocks, they can achieve synthetic control over the structural features of the filamentous networks.➤ Using this ability, we will investigate the connection between the structural parameters of filamentous hydrogels and their mechanical and mass transport properties.➤ The results of these studies will serve as a foundation for applying biomimetic filamentous hydrogels in tissue engineering.Additional experience gained from this position:➤ Co-authored a section of a publication about the use of carbon nanotubes in the medical industry and how their molecular structure can pose great toxicological threat. With this, solutions can be drawn to find optimal standards in biomimetic material production, and to influence the use of biomimetic materials in modern medicine.➤ Wrote numerous safety operating procedures for 7 different machines to fully understand their operation and to effectively maintain laboratory operations.

Conducted scholarly research of gold and magnetic nanoparticles to begin laboratory development of a microfluidics chip that will separate and detect various pathogens including E. coli in a hydroponics system. The Waterloo Nanorobotics Group and I are scheduled to begin gold nanoparticle synthesis in late February 2023 for our final product to be ready for the Quantum for Health Design Challenge (awarding $10,000).

Created 100 scanner specification pages and videos that drew in an additional 5% of visitors yearly to the photo scanning application. Achieved using HTML and taking advantage of Googlebot’s search algorithm. Additionally, I ran the scanning algorithm numerous times in different scenarios to report back possible computer bugs present in the software to improve code performance for enhanced user experience.

My associate partner and I collaborated in a short period of time to solve an entrepreneurial task given to us by a table of judges at a provincial entrepreneurial competition. I oversaw the implementation and design of the idea as well as product distribution and supply, and then pitched this idea to said judges. As a result, my peer and I scored an 85% score and won as provincial finalists against 17,000 students.