- General partner and executive board leader (starting in October 2024) in S Phase Biofund, a group of advanced degree candidates and professionals whose mission is to invest in emerging public biotechnology companies and seek return on capital- Successfully pitched investment of AcurX Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to the general partnership- Manage specific stocks in the portfolio, providing updates to general partnership quarterly- Graduated from S Phase Biofund's Research Analyst program, where I performed DCF valuations and evaluated small-cap biotechnology companies based on their intellectual merit- Attend lectures from, and participate in networking opportunities with, invited speakers in biotechnology market research and equity research fields

- PhD candidate in the lab of Dr. D. Borden Lacy, developing a mucosal vaccination model and formula against Clostridioides difficile that confers robust protection upon challenge- Immunize with toxin and non-toxin antigen vaccines by parenteral and mucosal routes to determine which garners protection against lethal C. difficile challenge- Quantify fecal calprotectin, total and antigen-specific IgA and IgG titers by ELISA- Quantify C. difficile burden in cecal and fecal samples- Determine immune cell profiles by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS)- Purify and structurally characterize putative C. difficile surface antigens by cryo-electron microscopy and X-ray crystallography- Isolate monoclonal antibodies specific to C. difficile surface antigens using LIBRA-seq (Linking B cell Receptor to Antigen by Sequencing) technology- Elucidate mechanisms of antigen neutralization with monoclonal antibodies via agglutination and enchained growth assays- Visualize surface proteins on C. difficile using a gold-conjugated antibody via cryo-electron tomography

- Graduate student in the lab of Dr. Carla Nowosad studying mucosal B cells located in gut-associated germinal centers (such as mesenteric lymph nodes, and Peyer's Patches) - Programmed an analysis pipeline for single-cell bacterial sequencing on R to identify antibody-bound organisms- Visualized gut-associated germinal center B cell interactions with commensal and pathogenic bacteria using brightfield, and epi-fluorescent microscopy- Analyzed B cell receptor genetics via Sanger sequencing- Verified sequencing analyses via polyreactive and/or bacterial strain-specific ELISAs- Performed 16S rRNA sequencing on the microbiota of various transgenic mouse lines

- Express and purify Clostridioides difficile toxins TcdA, TcdB, and CDT, as well as mutants of the proteins, using nickel affinity chromatography and FPLC - Perform mutagenesis on various C. difficile proteins before amplifying constructs via polymerase chain reaction, sequencing DNA, and transforming the plasmids into Escherichia coli or Bacillus megaterium- Execute bio-layer interferometry assays to measure the kinetics of biomolecular interactions between two proteins- Visualize and image various protein constructs and complexes using both negative-stain transition electron microscopy and cryo-electron microscopy- Perform intoxication and antibody/nanobody neutralization assays on eukaryotic Vero cell tissue cultures- Maintain laboratory stocks of reagents and supplies

- Prepared bacterial cultures, various types of agarose plates, compound light microscopes, analytical profile index strips, Gram-staining materials, and Galleria mellonella larvae for class- Assisted and supervised 20 students in the laboratory setting and outside of class during weekly office hours- Graded lab notebooks, lab reports, quizzes, and tests

- Assisted and supervised 24 students (both Organic Chemistry 1 and 2) each trimester during lab as they use chemicals, glassware, and FT-IR, NMR, and GC/MS instruments- Reviewed and graded lab notebooks and reports- Handled, managed, and properly disposed of chemicals and chemical waste in the laboratory- Led weekly review sessions on course material for small groups of students

- Executed tours of Kalamazoo College's campus in a timely and educated manner- Memorized facts about Kalamazoo College- Addressed concerns and critical questions from prospective students and their families- Tailored tours to each prospective student's interests- Hosted prospective students overnight in the dorms and for meals in the cafeteria

- Investigated the bioluminescent operon of Photorhabdus luminescens, the Lux operon, to elucidate the evolution of acquired genes/operons/regulators from distant aquatic bacterial ancestors- Created a genetic library of mutant bacterial strains with knock-outs of Lux operon genes and regulators- Observed differences in growth and ATP usage between wild-type and mutant strains of Photorhabdus- Operated basic microbiology techniques such as PCR, microtiter plate-based assays, and gel electrophoresis

- Supervised 24 introductory chemistry (Chemistry 110) students in a laboratory setting- Instructed students on conventional chemical handling, equipment, lab notebook, and safety techniques during each instruction period- Reviewed and graded lab notebooks - Handled, managed, and properly disposed of chemicals and chemical waste in the laboratory

- Structurally characterized the Clostridium difficile sigma initiation factor TcdR, which regulates toxin production- Purified TcdR using nickel affinity chromatographic columns and FPLC - Visualized proteins using SDS-PAGE gels and Western blots- Identified proteins present in samples by performing an in-gel digestion and running samples through LC-MS- Identified potential two- and three-dimensional TcdR structures using with Scipion v1.2 after tilt-pair reconstruction of negative-stain TEM images taken on both a Morgagni 268 (100 keV) and a Tecnai F20 (200 keV) TEM- Synthesized C. difficile toxin promoter regions of tcdA and tcdB into vector plasmids, transformed into E. coli cells, and amplified promoter region DNA through polymerase chain reaction- Confirmed the functionality of TcdR in binding RNA polymerase and toxin promoter regions through electrophoretic mobility shift assays- Awarded a Sherman Fairchild Foundation research grant from Kalamazoo College in order to continue research at Vanderbilt University Medical Center

- Research intern through Kalamazoo College's Oak Ridge Science Semester study-away program; worked under the guidance of Dr. Jennifer Morrell-Falvey as a part of the Plant-Microbe Interfaces team - Created and studied the chemotaxis of a transposon mutant, MCP-Tn5, in Pantoea sp. YR343; compared the mutant strain to the wild-type using growth curve assays, chemotaxis plates, videos of swimming patterns (analyzed by FIJI software), and colonization in wheat seedlings with confocal microscopy- Screened Pantoea sp. YR343 mutants for a clean-deletion knock-out of the UDP promoter using electroporation, differential media, and gel electrophoresis- Investigated how Variovorax sp. CF313 and sp. YR266 respond differently to plant-made carbon sources in twitching motility assays- Quantified and tracked symplasmata formation in Pantoea sp. YR343 overtime using confocal microscopy

- Vanderbilt NSF-granted Chemical Biology REU summer intern in Dr. Borden Lacy's structural biology/microbiology laboratory; worked under the guidance of Dr. Heather Kroh and Dr. Lacy- Expressed unknown microbial proteins from various other bacteria (focusing primarily on Clostridioides difficile proteins) - Purified expressed proteins over affinity and size-exclusion chromatography (FPLC) columns- Visualized proteins using SDS-PAGE gels and Western blots- Crystallized unknown proteins via crystallization screens, sending large crystals to the Synchrotron in Chicago for X-ray diffraction

- Researched properties of silicone products for specific customer orders using an FT-IR spectrometer, Gaulin homogenizers and mills, Ross mixers, and immersion blenders- Designed and produced specialty silicone products; particularly focused on gels, antifoams, and silicone glycols- Interacted with customers and sales representatives in the specialty chemical business via telephone calls, emails, and the online programming website VTiger- Organized and completed spec sheets before product sample shipments shipment- Sent product samples in a timely and efficient manner

- Investigated how populating a doubly degenerate excited state affects an ejected NO from the compound CH3ONO, to see if the direction of the ejected NO is heading (velocity) is related to the axis of the NO rotation- Maintained and operated laser velocity-mapping instruments, delivery systems, cameras, and fume hood- Repaired and assembled instrument pieces- Organized chemicals safely- Constructed data tables and graphic images online

- Managed food kiosks, aiding other employees with technology and monetary problems, food shortages, and customer service issues- Prepared food while maintaining a clean kitchen environment- Collaborated with kitchen and wait-staff at special events