PhD Student
University of California San Diego
I’m a PhD candidate at the University of California San Diego's School of Biological Sciences mentored by Dr. Francesca Soncin. My thesis project focuses on profiling the transcriptomic and epigenetic contributions of VGLL1, a transcriptional coactivator, during human trophectoderm lineage specification using pluripotent stem cell models. I also work on an evolutionary developmental biology project to investigate conserved and species-specific requirements for trophoblast lineage differentiation in rhinoceros using in vitro models. My research interests include investigating epithelial-mesenchymal crosstalk that maintain tissue-resident stem cells, the coordinated transcriptome/epigenome changes that drive differentiation, and the changes incurred during aging that affects tissue homeostasis.