I am a PhD candidate at The University of Texas at Austin specializing in computational biology, machine learning, and bioinformatics. My work involves developing and applying machine learning models to study peptides, analyze biological data, and support drug discovery efforts. I have experience designing computational tools, building predictive models, and integrating bioinformatics approaches to uncover patterns in complex biological systems. By combining data-driven techniques with biological insights, I aim to contribute to advancements across biotechnology, pharmaceutical research, and fundamental life sciences.
Education
PhD in Biochemistry, The University of Texas at Austin (2022 – Present)
Graduate Certificate in Computational Life Sciences, Arizona State University (2020 – 2021)
Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry, Arizona State University, Magna cum laude (2019 – 2020)
Bachelor of Arts in English (Creative Writing), Arizona State University, Barrett Honors College, Magna cum laude (2009 – 2013)
Publications
Antibacterial Microcins are Ubiquitous and Functionally Diverse Across Bacterial Communities - Nature Communications (In Review)
Graduate Research Assistant, UT Austin (2022 – Present) - Conducting research on machine learning models for peptide encoding, natural antibiotic discovery, and bioinformatics applications.
Co-Founder, BioML Society, UT Austin (2023 – Present) - Organized industry and academic talks, led a protein engineering hackathon, and taught computational biology lectures.
Research Technician, Arizona State University (2020 – 2021) - Analyzed large protein sequence datasets and supported lab research in bacterial defense systems.
Guest Lectures & Posters
Guest Speaker: AI LIVE - UT Austin’s Year of AI Showcase, Fall 2024, Austin, TX. Topic: Interactive Workshop: AI & Eradicating Food Insecurity
Guest Lecture: UT Austin Graduate STEM Professional Development Course, Fall 2024, Austin, TX. Topic: Harnessing Language Models for Chemical Analysis and Therapeutic Discovery
Invited Speaker: UT Austin’s Core Facilities Conference, Summer 2024. Representing the Biomedical Research Computing Facility. Topic: Bioinformatics Approaches to Natural Peptide Antibiotic Discovery
Poster Presentation: Molecular Machine Learning Conference (MoML), Summer 2024, Quebec, Canada, hosted by Mila. Title: SMILES-based Modeling for Predicting Membrane Penetration of Cyclic Peptides
Invited Speaker: UT Austin’s Biophysics Hang-Out, Spring 2024. Topic: Development of Computational Methods for Discovery and Selection of Therapeutic Peptides
Guest Lecture: UT Austin Graduate Computational Biology Course, Spring 2024. Topic: Teaching Language Models to Speak Biology
Poster Presentation: Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Graduate Program Annual Retreat, Fall 2023. Title: Chemical Language Model for Identification of Novel Drug Analogues. Best Poster Award.
Skills
Programming & Data Analysis: Python, R, Shell Scripting, HPC, Virtual Screening, Data Science
