B.A., Princeton University, 2004
Ph.D., Yale University, 2010
Life Sciences Research Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow, 2012-2015

I am a joint Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Karatekin lab and Postdoctoral Fellow in the O’Shaughnessy group at Columbia University. I use micropipette aspiration measurements of the membrane tension in fission yeast protoplasts to obtain quantitative information into the mechanical properties of the cytokinetic actomyosin ring. These measurements are linked with theoretical models of the ring structure and protein dynamics to gain molecular level insight into the mechanics of cytokinesis.

My research interests focus on macromolecular complexes in biological processes at the interface between the cytoskeleton and cellular membranes—including vesicle trafficking, membrane microdomain structure, and the role of the cytoskeleton in driving membrane dynamics and structure. Classically trained in biochemistry, I studied kinetic adaptation of enzymes involved in trafficking (GTPases and myosins). I also performed postdoctoral work in quantitative microscopy on cellular actin structures involved in cholesterol uptake in macrophages during atherosclerotic plaque development. My current focus is on mechanical properties of the cytokinetic ring in fission yeast.