Aficionado of genome organization and function who also enjoys building programs that connect science with society. My work spans computational genomics, science communication, public engagement, and science policy, with a focus on making scientific discovery more accessible, trustworthy, and impactful. Across research, nonprofit leadership, and media, I am interested in how scientists can create knowledge while also strengthening the communities they serve.
Education
2026–2021
PhD, Bioinformatics & Computational Biology
UNC Chapel Hill · Chapel Hill, NC
Graduate Certificate in Innovation for the Public Good
2021–2017
BA, Cellular & Molecular Biology
Occidental College · Los Angeles, CA
Minor in Public Health
Research & Professional Experience
2026–2022
Graduate Research Assistant
Phanstiel Lab | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) School of Medicine · Chapel Hill, NC
Developing and applying software in R, performing microscropy (DNA FISH) and -omics techniques (Hi-C, RNA-seq, ATAC-seq, CUT&RUN/ChIP-seq) to investigate the role of 3D chromatin structure in response to environmental stress
Launched Science For Good, a nonprofit organization that empowers researchers to engage with communities, policymakers, and the public through creative science communication, advocacy, and outreach
2024
Science Policy Intern
National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of the Director · Bethesda, MD
Assist in developing a public vision and framework for including patient and community voices in the design and conduct of NIH-funded clinical research. Help plan public consultations to develop recommendations regarding engagement methods for research employing novel technologies and will be prototyping equitable and inclusive approaches for patient and community engagement. Work can be found here.
J.P. Flores, Andrea A. Perreault, Zack Drum, Chenxi Xu, Doris Cruz Alonso, Gelila Petros, Yijia Wu, Ivana Y. Quiroga-Barber, HyunAh Kim, Isha Sahasrabudhe, Justin Demmerle, Gang Greg Wang, Danfeng Cai, Douglas H. Phanstiel
2025
Hyperosmotic stress induces complete rewiring of chromatin interactions
UCLA Emerging Genomics Scientists Symposium · Los Angeles, CA