About me
I am a post-baccalaureate researcher in the NSF-funded LAGNiAppE program at Louisiana State University. For my year-long research project in the LAGNiAppE program, I am interested in evaluating the cellular and spatial expression of a select group of the duplicated myoglobin genes in the wound epidermis during fin regeneration, and performing knockout techniques to better understand their function role. I am seeking a PhD opportunity to study tissue regeneration in vertebrates.
Model organisms of interest:
- Senegal bichir (Polypterus Senegalus)
- West African Lungfish (Protopterus annectens)
- Axolotl salamander (Ambystoma mexicanum)
Current LAGNiAppE research project
I am investigating the physiological function of duplicated myoglobin (mb) genes during fin regeneration. The fish regenerators I am studying uniquely express mb in the wound epidermis in addition to the muscle, and my work explores how oxygen transport and storage may contribute to regenerative mechanisms. I am analyzing sequence divergence and substitution rates in related species, with a broader goal of understanding how species like axolotls, which lack mb-encoding genes, might compensate through alternative pathways.
Prior to this fellowship, I worked at the Aquatic Germplasm and Genetic Resources Center (AGGRC), where I contributed to improving germplasm cryopreservation techniques for axolotls by designing and testing 3D-printed sperm freezing devices. AGGRC closely collaborates with the Ambystoma Genetic Stock Center (AGSC) at the University of Kentucky, directed by Dr. Randall Voss, and I had the opportunity to engage with protocols and standards that support this shared resource. This experience strengthened my technical foundation in developmental biology but also deepened my interest in regeneration research, particularly in axolotls, as a model for understanding tissue regeneration.
