CURRICULUM VITAE

Education

• Ph.D. in Molecular & Systems Pharmacology, Emory University, 2027 (expected)
• B.S. in Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Georgia College of Pharmacy, 2021
  • Minors in Biology & Spanish

Research Experience

• Graduate Researcher at Spencer Lab : Feb. 2022 - Present
  • Conduct Sca-1+ cell isolation, culturing, and transduction in preparation for transplant
  • Perform HSC transplantation into conditioned mice

Hepler Lab Rotation : Nov. 2021 - Feb. 2021

• Performed protein purification of RGS14 and Gαi1-GDP using size-exclusion runs
• Characterized RGS14 and Gαi1-GDP through immunoblot analysis
• Conducted immunoprecipitations of pure proteins to validate their binding

Read Lab Rotation : Sept. 2021 - Nov. 2021

• Monitored RCAS-TVA mouse model for GBM and perform brain dissections
• Cultured primary neurospheres with aseptic tissue culture techniques
• Screened preliminary high throughput RNA-Seq data to identify candidate target transcripts
• Performed western blots and qPCR to assess selected candidate target transcripts

• Designed and conducted RNA immunoprecipitations to validate transcripts as direct targets of IMP3

• Research Assistant at Grimsey Lab : Sept. 2018 - April 2021
  • Developed FRET biosensors using molecular cloning techniques including: PCR amplifications, bacterial transformations, DNA sequencing, digests, ligations, and isolation
  • Designed and conducted FRET assays, signaling assays, siRNA knockdowns, protein purification, and western blotting
  • Imaged and assessed cells transfected with fluorescent biosensors using confocal microscopy techniques

Relevant Work Experience

• Pharmacy Technician at Publix Pharmacy : Dec. 2017 - July 2021
  • Calculated and dispensed prescription medications
  • Entered patient profiles and prescriptions into input software system
  • Checked pharmacy inventory and managed orders
  • Answered patient questions and reported adverse drug reactions

Honors & Awards

• Richard A. Bryan Scholarship for Excellence in the Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2020
• Travel Award for Experimental Biology Conference, 2020
• Experiential Learning Scholar, 2019
• Center for Undergradaute Research Opportunities (CURO) Summer Fellow, 2019
• Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities (CURO) Research Assistantship, 2018

Professional Associations

• American Society for Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET) Member since 2019
• American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) Member since 2019

Publications

Atypical p38 Signaling, Activation, and Implications for Disease

Burton JC, Antoniades W, Okalova J, Roos MM, Grimsey NJ. Atypical p38 Signaling, Activation, and Implications for Disease. Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Apr 17;22(8):4183. doi: 10.3390/ijms22084183. PMID: 33920735; PMCID: PMC8073329.

ATF6 is essential for human cone photoreceptor development

Kroeger H, Grandjean JMD, Chiang WJ, Bindels DD, Mastey R, Okalova J, Nguyen A, Powers ET, Kelly JW, Grimsey NJ, Michaelides M, Carroll J, Wiseman RL, Lin JH. ATF6 is essential for human cone photoreceptor development. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2021 Sep 28;118(39):e2103196118. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2103196118. PMID: 34561305.

Conferences

• Experimental Biology Conference, April 2020
  • Poster Presentation
• Georgia Undergraduate Research Conference, November 2019
  • Oral Presentation
• CURO Summer Fellowship Symposium, July 2019
  • Oral Presentation
• CURO Sympsoium, April 2019
  • Poster Presentation

Skills

• Research
  • Mouse Models/Handling: *Retroorbital Bleeds, Retroorbital Injections, Intraperitoneal Injections
  • Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplants
  • Mammalian Tissue Culture
  • Confocal Microscopy
  • Western Blotting
  • Molecular Cloning
  • Computational Analysis in R and Prism
  • Illustrator Figure Making
• Industry
  • Good Manufacturing Practices
  • Good Documentation Practices
  • Quality Control Tests
  • Batch Records
• Languages
  • Slovak - Native Fluency
  • English - Native Fluency
  • Spanish - Native Fluency