Research Background

I was born and raised in Grapevine, Texas, but left the DFW area for something slightly different and more humid for college at the University of Houston. There, I did undergraduate research in the lab of Dr. Benjamin Deneen at the Baylor College of Medicine where I worked on a project that helped uncover the different epigenetic roles that transcription factor Sox9 plays in different subtypes of brain cancer. Missing Dallas, I moved back and joined Dr. Sean Morrison’s lab at here at UTSW as a research technician where I worked on many projects that helped to further define the intrinsic and extrinsic factors that affect hematopoietic stem cell self-renewal and differentiation.

In 2024, I joined the basic biomedical sciences PhD program at UTSW, and in 2025 I joined Dr. Chen’s lab, as I am interested in pediatric cancer, its genetic drivers, and uncovering ways to exploit these mutations for therapeutic benefit. Here, I will study how specific point mutations in the DICER1 gene lead to defective microRNA expression and tumorigenesis.

When I’m not in the lab

I have a roommate named Cactus (pictured above) who enjoys my company (despite not looking like he does), so when I’m not in lab I like to read, cook, play the Wii (yes, the one from 2006), and craft things out of clay. Despite Cactus’ wishes, I do also enjoy spending time with friends outside of the house by going line dancing, practicing jiu jitsu, walking (and people watching) on the Katy trail, and trying different coffee shops.