Fun Facts

I love rock climbing, weight lifting, and knitting, which is quite an odd combo. Additionally, I enjoy baking, since baking is just chemistry at home! My husband is a medical resident, so I'm use to constantly being surrounded by words that are too big for me, while I say jibberish (my thesis project) that means nothing to my husband.

About Me

I am a doctorial student at UT Southwestern Medical Center, obtaining my Ph.D. in biochemistry (degree conferral June 2021). Despite having biochemistry in my title, I only had to purify a single protein for my thesis project! My thesis work focuses on RNA biology and metabolism, specifically alternative splicing of the S-adenosyl methionine transferase in humans. I obtained my bachelors of science from the University of Texas at Austin in biological chemistry.

Experience

During my tenure as a graduate student, I developed classes on biochemical and molecular biology techniques for undergraduate research fellows, taught an undergraduate internship at UT Southwestern, mentored high school students preparing science fair projects, and trained several graduate students in the lab. Additionally, I quizzed junior graduate students to prepare them for qualifying exams and have experience tutoring in my high school and undergraduate years.

Approach

One thing my graduate career taught me, is learning takes perseverance and optimism. When a problem is too large, it's important to break down each step to smaller, more manageable pieces. This boosts confidence and improves the understanding of the basics of the subject. Additionally, reframing how you think of subject can drastically change your understanding of the subject.