I am a detail oriented graduate student and aspiring bioinformatic scientist.
Current Research
Identifying DNA methylation patterns in colorectal cancers
The goal of this project is to identify genes impacted by abnormal DNA methylation patterns in colorectal cancer datasets.
DNA methylation is a form of epigenetic modification that plays a key role in chromatin structure and impacts how genes are expressed without changing the underlying DNA sequence. Locations in DNA (loci) that are methylated vary by cell type, which drives cellular identity. Abnormal DNA methylation is characteristic of cancer cells and is thought to play a role in the development of cancer. In this study, I will identify differentially methylated regions (DMRs) of DNA in individuals with cancer compared to individuals without cancer by analyzing DNA methylation of tumor tissue DNA and circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA).
More information about this project…
Past Research
Is coral coloration a true indicator of photosynthetic health of algal symbionts?
This work investigated the relationship between coral coloration and photosynthetic health of the associated algal symbionts in Hoga island, Indonesia reefs.
Many coral species cannot survive without obligate algal symbionts, which provide the coral with nutrients through photosynthesis. Algal symbionts (Symbiodinium) provide the pigmentation observed in associated corals and coral bleaching occurs when Symbiodinium leaves the coral. Coral bleaching can be triggered by environmental stressors such as changes in temperature, pH, and turbidity.
Coral coloration is often used as an indicator of coral health in visual field surveys, but gene sequencing studies have observed varying pigmentation across clades of Symbiodinium. To investigate if coral coloration could accurately estimate symbiont health, I designed and implemented research that investigated the relationship between coral coloration and photo physiological characteristics of associated Symbiodinium. This project involved surveying color and collecting coral samples on scuba, as well as processing samples in the lab. Measures of photosynthetic health included fluorometry readings, Symbiodinium counts, and chlorophyll concentration. Final results were presented to an academic audience and the final report was submitted to the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI report).
About me
I am a Master’s student in the Biological Sciences department at California State University, Chico.
I am originally from San Diego, CA and developed a love for science at a young age. I have always enjoyed the natural world and I am fascinated by DNA and epigenetics. I received my B.S. in Biology from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 2011. Since then, I have worked as a marine science, scuba, and ski instructor. Recently, I was inspired to return to school by my love for research and a desire to pursue a career in bioinformatics. My current research focusses on DNA methylation in cancer datasets.
Research interests
- Epigenetics
- Cancer
- Bioinformatic analysis of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) data
Dry lab skills
Familiarity with writing computer programing scripts in a variety of languages and interfacing with remote computing clusters.
- Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) data analysis
- Python
- Shell/Bash scripting
- R
- Git/Github
- Snakemake workflow management
- Conda environment management
- Slurm resource management
- Remote High Performance Computing (HPC)
Wet lab skills
Experienced in a wide variety of laboratory methodology including:
- DNA isolation
- PCR amplification and assembly
- Gel electrophoresis
- Nanodrop spectrophotometry
- Cell culturing
- Transformation
- Transfection
- Good micropipette practices and aseptic technique
- Fluorescent microscopy
