Bio
I am a Computational Systems Biologist in the Computational and Predictive Biology Group in the Biosciences Division at ORNL. My primary research interest is to glean mechanistic understanding of complex traits and diseases using computational techniques. To accomplish this, I have co-developed software that has been deployed in the DOE Systems Biology Knowledgebase (KBase) and Center for Bioenergy Innovation (CBI) projects with the goal of identifying productive bioenergy crops. Furthermore, I have contributed to the DOE/VA Million Veteran Program (MVP) CHAMPION project by leveraging my background in neuroscience to understand the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders, including suicidal behavior and substance use disorders (e.g., alcohol use disorder, opioid use disorder). By using computational techniques coupled with the supercomputing resources at ORNL to generate new hypotheses of the biology underlying these diseases, we can identify drugs that may be repurposed for treating such diseases and drugs that may cause adverse side effects. Together, I aim to develop computational approaches that can accelerate therapeutic discovery and understand the genetic and environmental factors that contribute to human disease and increased yield of bioenergy feedstocks.
Awards
Distinguished Achievement Award in Recognition of Excellence in Postdoctoral Research, Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Education
2020 The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
Ph.D., Neuroscience
2019 The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
M.A., Neuroscience
2015 University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
B.A. with High Distinction, Neuroscience and Computer Science
Professional Affiliations
American Society of Human Genetics
College on Problems of Drug Dependence (Member-In-Training)
International Society of Psychiatric Genetics
National Postdoctoral Association
Society for Neuroscience