Joined lab in 2021 and anticipate graduating in 2026

I have a BS in Biochemistry and an MS in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology from the University of Minnesota. Currently, I am pursuing my PhD in the O’Connell Lab in the Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology. Prior to starting my PhD I worked in a cardiovascular and skeletal muscle physiology lab where I learned how to differentiate iPSCs into cardiac myocytes and worked on a cancer cachexia project. My thesis project is on exploring the cardioprotective molecular mechanism of Free Fatty Acid Receptor 4 (Ffar4) in cardiac myocytes in the context of ischemic cardiomyopathy. Ffar4 is an endogenous receptor for medium and long chain fatty acids. This project interests me because I get to explore the intersection between cardiac physiology and nutrition, additionally, for many years people have known that omega-3 fatty acids are cardioprotective, but my work is uncovering one of the many reasons why. Outside of the lab I also work as a scientific assistant in the Office of Discovery and Translation (ODAT). After graduate school I would like to start a career in clinical research and/or medical affairs; my long term goal is to improve clinical trial operations in order to more efficiently get novel, life saving therapeutics and devices into the clinic while maximizing patient safety.