Class Of 2023

My area of research

My PhD utilized tools from cell biology, molecular biology, and biochemistry to investigate development under favorable and unfavorable conditions in C. elegans. I worked in John Kim’s lab.

During my PhD, I worked on the regulation of microRNAs during development and environmental stress in C. elegans. While most research is done under standard laboratory conditions, I am intrigued by how organisms detect and adapt to varying environmental conditions. I discovered that in C. elegans, a master transcription factor DAF-16 turns on stress response pathways and turns off developmental programs during the stress induced dauer stage. I also discovered that the microRNA induced silencing complex (miRISC) is a modular complex, associating with specific cofactors during development and stress. Thus, my work helped uncover molecular changes that are induced by the external environment to illicit adaptive responses in organisms.

Shared experience of science

As an incoming international student, I was apprehensive about finding community when I started graduate school. However, the language and shared experience of science made me feel at home in the CMDB program, sooner than I expected. The CMDB community was extremely warm and supportive. Every lab that I worked in made me feel welcome. I am grateful that I had the opportunity of working with brilliant young scientists. My labmates were very collaborative and continue to be some of my closest friends. I look forward to collaborating with them in the future as well. 

My current work

I am currently a post doctoral fellow at MGH and Harvard University in Gary Ruvkun’s lab studying tRNA modifications and their impact on translation.