I am a PhD student in the School of Neuroscience at Virginia Tech, expecting to graduate in 2027. I completed my Bachelor’s degree in Biology at the University of Washington, Seattle.

I am the recipient of the F31 Predoctoral Fellowship (Ruth L. Kirschstein NRSA Individual Predoctoral Fellowship) from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support my dissertation research on temperature sensation in Drosophila. Additionally, I have published in high-impact journals such as Nature, Current Biology, and the Journal of Neuroscience. Currently, I am conducting my research in the Ni Lab at Virginia Tech, focusing on the molecular mechanisms of thermoreceptors in Drosophila. I use a combination of cellular and molecular techniques, CRISPR, electrophysiology, immunohistochemistry, and behavioral experiments to investigate the mechanisms underlying temperature sensation in Drosophila.

With 14 years of experience working with fruit flies, my journey began as an undergraduate research assistant in the Dickinson Lab at the University of Washington. I later worked as a research technician and eventually served as the lab manager in the Dickinson Lab at Caltech, where I gained extensive experience in Drosophila research.

My work has been recognized with several awards. I was honored to receive the Virginia Tech's College of Science's Outstanding Doctoral Student Award for my academic and research achievements as well as First Place at the Center for Communicating Science Nutshell Games at Virginia Tech, the Kirk and Noel Schulz Transformative Graduate Education Fellowship, and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Integrative Research Award. I have also received several travel awards for presenting my research at conferences.

I am currently seeking a collegiate faculty position.