Personal Statement

I am a molecular and cellular biologist trained at Harvard Medical School, currently holding an academic appointment as assistant professor at Cedars-Sinai and UCLA. In my scientific career, I have been researching the cell-autonomous and non-cell-autonomous contributions to cancer and have focused my investigations specifically on leukemia and sarcoma. In September 2016, I was awarded a National Institutes of Health–National Cancer Institute K99/R00 grant to work on elucidating new drivers of sarcomagenesis, leukemia and bone metastasis. This investigation encompasses the study of both protein-coding genes and the newly discovered circRNAs. My long-term goals are to identify new druggable pathways that can be exploited either to derive new therapies in combination with the conventional ones, or to prevent the formation of the tumor or metastasis. During my scientific career, I have had the opportunity to mentor doctorate students and fellows in the lab. As a teacher, I believe that part of my responsibility is to give my students the chance to be critical and creative about science. And, through teaching my students, I hope to impart the importance of creativity in science.