I am a sixth year PhD student in the University of Pittsburgh’s chemical and petroleum engineering program. My thesis work can be divided into two areas:
Working at the cellular and systems level, my aim is to better understand the mechanisms driving observed immunoregulatory behavior to improve drug development. While initially using influenza A virus as the primary infection of study, I repeated network controllability studies to efficiently prioritize drug repositioning candidates for treating SARS-CoV-2 infection at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As a queer, disabled woman in STEM, I am passionate about the advancement of underrepresented populations in STEM. I have had the opportunity to perform diversity and equity work in academia with Future of Research, the TAE Consortium, and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute as a Gilliam Fellow. I am also an active advocate in the disability community for equitable access to education and technology. In my free time, I enjoy painting, union organizing with my fellow grad workers, and spending time with my cat, Poppy.
MCMC parameter fitting methods for ODE models of the immune response to viral infection
Virus-host protein networks to identify disease host factors and drug opportunities
Advocacy for underrepresented populations in academia, particularly the disabled
Co-director of the Labor Task Force, investigating labor conditions of early career researchers
Responsibilities:
An initiative based group of ECR’s aiming to redefine the conversation around mental health in academia, particularly by supporting the unique needs of underrepresented researchers.
Website and Social Media initiative lead
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Experience:
Research accomplishments:
Computer-Aided Drug Discovery (CADD) department under Dr. Douglas Kitchen
Responsibilities:
Awarded funding to participate in the Undergraduate Research Program under Dr. Curt Breneman
Research accomplishments:
Experience in:
As a proud disabled person, I am passionate about equity for the disabled, both inside and outside of academia. I am committed to fighting the often overlooked ableism that is engrained into our institutions, particularly at the intersection of multiple marginalized identities.
Driven by an experience with autonomous robots whose inaccessibility poses a tangible threat to the disability community, I am interested in exploring the inequity created by the inaccessibility of tech and education. I believe that representation in STEM and the design process is key, and that it must be addressed at two levels: making tech accessible for the disabled user to gain equitable access to education, and making the tech industry more accessible and supportive for disabled developers. I have given talks, written an op-ed for Bloomberg's Citylab, and been the featured story in the Financial Times (linked below).
Coming soon! Ologies and Disability Visibility Project podcast episodes
I am available for talks, podcasts, consulting, collaborations, and more, just ask!