My Research

undergraduate

My research journey began at Kent State University, where as an Honors Thesis Student under Dr. Gemma Casadesus, I delved into neuroendocrinology. I honed my expertise in cellular localization techniques and bioinformatics, producing a comprehensive atlas to understand the brain’s production and distribution of Luteinizing Hormone, which laid the groundwork for ongoing research in the lab.

As a trainee with BP-ENDURE at Washington University in St. Louis, I worked with Dr. Todd Braver to unpack the heredity of neural activation patterns underlying cognitive control through human fMRI studies, resulting in a publication in Cerebral Cortex.

My curiosity regarding neurological disorders led me to the Summer Research Program at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. Under Dr. Beth Stevens, I explored the role of the schizophrenia risk gene Csmd1 in synaptic pruning in the mouse cortex.

PhD

My PhD work in the Lehtinen Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School My PhD research focused on discovering a novel apocrine secretion mechanism in the choroid plexus (ChP) and its essential role in shaping cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) composition to guide brain development. Through advanced imaging and molecular profiling, I demonstrated that the ChP secretes specific signals that directly influence cortical development. I also explored how maternal exposures, including psychedelics, can disrupt CSF composition and alter neurodevelopment, offering new insights into how serotonergic compounds affect embryonic brain activity and cortical formation through the ChP. My findings suggest previously unrecognized pathways by which psychedelics influence brain development, particularly during vulnerable periods.

This interdisciplinary work has broad implications for understanding ChP-regulated brain plasticity and homeostasis, with potential therapeutic applications for neurodevelopmental disorders. A preprint of my study, A Choroid Plexus Apocrine Secretion Mechanism Modulates Cerebrospinal Fluid Contents and Instructs Cortical Development, is available here, offering an in-depth look at these mechanisms and their broader implications.

postdoc (present)

At Stanford University, I am investigating how hidden viral infections can quietly reshape the immune system and trigger long-term illness. My research focuses on Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a common herpesvirus that can lie dormant for decades — but is increasingly linked to autoimmune diseases and neurological syndromes. In the Robinson Lab, I combine viral genomics, single-cell analysis, and RNA-based tools to track and eliminate the immune cells that EBV may hijack. Ultimately, my goal is to uncover how infections set chronic diseases in motion — and to build programmable therapies that can intervene with precision, before lasting damage occurs.

future

I plan to lead my own independent research group in academia, where I will explore how infections — particularly viral infections — trigger long-term neurological disease. Although the chronic aftermath of infections has shaped human health for centuries, the molecular events that connect acute illness to lifelong dysfunction remain largely unknown. My lab will tackle this urgent problem by investigating:

  • Epstein-Barr Virus and Neurological Sequelae:
    EBV infection is nearly universal, yet the pathways linking mononucleosis to autoimmune and neurological complications are still poorly understood. I aim to define how EBV hijacks immune cells and identify opportunities to intercept chronic disease at its origin.

  • Other Latent Human Herpesviruses:
    Beyond EBV, viruses such as cytomegalovirus (CMV) and human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) establish lifelong infections in the immune system. My research will examine how the reactivation of these viruses — often silent and unnoticed — can disrupt immune regulation and contribute to chronic neurological conditions.

  • Post-COVID Neurological Syndromes ("Long COVID"):
    The COVID-19 pandemic has illuminated the staggering impact of post-viral syndromes on brain health. I am particularly interested in how SARS-CoV-2 infection triggers latent viral reactivation and disrupts immune-brain communication, setting the stage for persistent neuroinflammation.

  • Endemic Viral Persistence and Neurodegeneration:
    Viruses like EBV, CMV, and HSV have co-evolved with humans, persisting silently within tissues for decades. I plan to develop new tools to track viral persistence in the brain and clarify its role in driving neurodegenerative diseases over time.

Ultimately, my goal is to illuminate how hidden infections quietly reshape the immune system and brain — and to pioneer precision therapies that can rewrite these disease trajectories before they take hold.