Biography

I have been a hacker and tinkerer since high school. In 2003 I co-authored a paper on optimization of a fuzzy logic rule-based classifier. My interest in biology and my aptitude for technology, led me to pursue an undergraduate degree in bioengineering at the University of California, Berkeley.

After graduating in 2009 I took a postbaccalaureate research position at the NIMH where we used diffusion tensor imaging and magnetic resonance spectroscopy to search for biomarkers of schizophrenia. My work with those MRI techniques led me to pursue a master’s degree in biomedical imaging.

After completing the requisite coursework for my master’s program and a thesis on Quantitative MRI techniques in 2013, I worked in various research labs developing technologies and experiments to answer technical research questions. I worked on such diverse projects as building real-time systems to interface with electrocorticography recording equipment, such as neurofeedback and neuromodulator systems, or designing materials and techniques for generating anthropomorphic imaging phantoms that quantitatively mimic human tissues on both MRI and CT imaging.

While I found many unique and exciting challenges in applying my biomedical engineering skills and knowledge to research, I have always hoped to apply my abilities to problems that would serve clinical medicine and help patients. To that end, I applied to and enrolled in medical school in 2020 and have been working to a medical degree and a career in clinical and academic medicine ever since.

Education