Using transcriptomics to understand germline stem cell regeneration
I am a stem cell biologist who combines genetics, computational bioinformatics, and cell biology to study cell fate decisions. Specifically, I seek to discover how germline stem cells (GSCs), which underlie the continuity of all sexually reproductive life, can uphold their unique cellular responsibilities while also allowing reestablishment of GSC fate during trans- and de-differentiation.
Education and Research Background Postdoctoral Fellow, Whitehead Institute, 2020-Present Ph.D, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2013-2020 Research Technician, University of Pennsylvania, 2011-2013 A.B., Bryn Mawr College, 2007-2011
determining a combinatorial signaling regime that balances self-renewal, differentiation, and dedifferentiation in germline stem cells and their differentiating daughters (in preparation)
production and analysis of a paired single-cell/single-nucleus RNA sequencing atlas of the Drosophila testis that identified a broad program of days-long transcript perdurance during meiosis (link)
discovery of a novel cell cycle correlated mechanism for retention of stem cell potency despite specification through "fate-switching" (link)
identifying a conserved patterning mechanism for regenerative fate specification across animals (link)