Tell us a bit about yourself.

What is your academic background? What research experience did you have before grad school?

During undergrad, I studied computer science and biology, and worked with Dr. Laurie Boyer investigating cardiomyocyte differentiation; here I got both wet- and dry-lab experience.

What is your research area and why is it exciting?

I study heritability and selection of human polygenic traits such as Height and BMI. It is a privilege to play with massive datasets to interrogate how our genome works!

Why did you choose BIG?

Boston has so much to offer in Biology and Bioinformatics; nowhere else quite compares to the concentration of talent and intelligence. Many schools offer stellar programs, but the vast supply of labs available to work in or collaborate with sets the BIG program apart from most.

What was your favorite class and why?

My favorite class to date was the introductory population genetics class. Its informal nature and small class size made asking questions easy and learning a lot of fun.

How do you like living in Boston? What do you do when you are not working?