Research Topics

I am a postdoctoral scholar in the Voigt Lab at MIT’s Department of Bioengineering. My previous research focused on harnessing natural structures to manipulate and probe cellular signaling networks. Currently, I aim to design and exploit novel biological systems, leveraging my expertise in chemical biology, materials science, synthetic biology, and bioengineering. I am fascinated by the efforts in the synthetic biology community to integrate modularity and functionality into biological systems. I believe my interdisciplinary research experience provides a strong foundation and valuable perspective in approaching synthetic biology from new and unexpected directions. As technology continuously improves, we gain additional insights into the relationship between the human host and commensal microbial communities and their roles in disease, homeostasis, and metabolism. While significant progress has been achieved in understanding the gut microbiome, the native flora found within other major body cavities, such as the skin, oral, mucosal, and lung, have been relatively unexplored. In particular, how does this relationship between the host and native microbiome extend to the surrounding environment? Can commensal microorganisms be further modified to help its host adapt to changing or unfavorable conditions? Can we engineer them to work beyond traditional biological borders? In my future research group, I will employ recent developments in engineering skin bacteria to serve as a platform for investigating the therapeutic and other non-native functionalities of human commensals for disease vector modulation, biological upcycling, and alternative foods.