About

Where am I now?

I am a PhD student and NSF Graduate Research Fellow with Eric Alm in the Department of Biological Engineering at MIT. My research revolves around using high-throughput data, computational analyses, and principles from ecology and evolution to understand problems in human health.

  • Can we treat or prevent diseases (e.g., inflammatory bowel disease) by manipulating the gut microbiome—the bacteria, fungi, and viruses that live in our gut?
  • Can we diagnose diseases that lack robust clinical tests (e.g., depression) using metabolomics—a method that simultaneously measures thousands of molecules in blood or urine?

Beyond human health, I also spend a lot of time thinking about sustainability and conservation. I pursue personal growth outside of science through alpinism (blog) and rock climbing (mountain project profile).

Where am I going?

In my next stage, I am pivoting from academia to entrepreneurship to bring my research closer to the people it benefits. I am exploring the following positions:

  1. A postdoc aimed at proof-of-principle studies
  2. Founding a company
  3. Joining a small company

Where am I from?

I grew up on the Puget Sound near Seattle, Washington. I learned what I value and how to write from my mother. I learned how to be grateful for small moments from my father. I learned how to eat Kraft mac and cheese with chopsticks from my sister. And I learned who I am at YMCA Camp Orkila.

Skills

Computation

  • Bioinformatic analysis: alignment, assembly, annotation, phylogenetics
  • Statistical analysis and machine learning in Python and
  • (Unix) environment and virtual environments
  • Administration and scaling of cloud computing with

Data

  • Genomic data: human genomes, bacterial genomes, viral genomes, metagenomics
  • Gene expression data: single-cell RNA-seq, metatranscriptomics
  • Metabolomic data
  • Immune repertoire data: T cell receptors, B cell receptors

Experiments

  • High-throughput data generation from clinical (e.g., blood, stool, biopsy) and environmental (e.g., water) samples
  • Obtaining regulatory approval for clinical trials and research
  • Bacterial isolation and genetic manipulation

Experience

 
 
 
 
 
September 2014 – Present
Cambridge, MA

PhD Student

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Broad Institute

 
 
 
 
 
September 2013 – September 2014
Nahant, MA

Research Associate

Marine Science Center, Northeastern University

 
 
 
 
 
September 2012 – September 2013
Bocas del Toro, Panama

U.S. Fulbright Fellow

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

 
 
 
 
 
September 2011 – September 2012
Nahant, MA

Research Associate

Marine Science Center, Northeastern University

 
 
 
 
 
June 2010 – September 2012
Orcas Island, WA

Leadership Development Instructor and Expedition Leader

YMCA Camp Orkila

 
 
 
 
 
September 2008 – May 2010
Providence, RI

Research Technician

Brown University