Bio
Her passion for research began during her undergraduate studies in Dipali Sashital’s laboratory, where she investigated the DNA cleavage specificity of Cas12 proteins. During her final two years in the lab, she initiated an independent project focused on the recently discovered Cas12f (also known as Cas14) proteins. This experience, along with the department’s strong support for undergraduate research, provided a solid foundation for her graduate training. In addition, presenting her work annually at STUPKA gave her valuable early experience in scientific communication.
She is now a fourth-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Molecular & Integrative Physiology at the University of Michigan. In Yatrik Shah’s laboratory, her research focuses on the role of glucose in STAT3 signaling in colorectal cancer. She has expanded this work to examine the role of this pathway in liver fibrosis and has established an exploratory project investigating metabolic changes in activated hepatic fibroblasts. Beyond her research, she serves as co-director of BioMed Focus, a summer research internship program for local high school students. Since beginning graduate school, she has developed a strong passion for teaching. She plans to defend her dissertation by the end of 2026 and pursue a postdoctoral position where she can continue studying metabolism in gastrointestinal disease while gaining additional teaching experience