Research Scientist/Manager

Objective

To obtain a managerial/research position at a pharmaceutical company that will allow me to apply my years of academic research training to the development of new therapeutic drugs

Education

University of Notre Dame, Department of Biological Sciences, Notre Dame, IN

• Ph.D., Cellular and Physiological Dynamics, 2007

• GPA: 3.958

• Clare Booth Luce Graduate Fellowship for Women in Science, Engineering, and Mathematics

Michigan Technological University, Department of Biological Sciences, Houghton, MI

• B.Sc., Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, 2002

• GPA: 3.91, Summa Cum Laude

Technical Skills/Proficiencies

Sterile Cell Culture

• Perform basic sterile cell culture techniques including crystal violet growth assays, Boyden chamber invasion assays, wound healing assays, and fluorescence-based apoptosis assays

• Isolate primary cell culture lines from both murine mammary tumors and human mammary gland

• Stably transfect cell lines using both plasmid and lentiviral cell transfection

Protein Analysis/Imaging

• Analyze protein expression levels in cultured cells using ELISA, SDS-PAGE/Western blotting, and immunofluorescence

• Examine protein expression in murine and human tissue samples using immunohistochemistry

Molecular Biology

• Amplify genomic and plasmid DNA via PCR amplification for diagnostic and cloning purposes

• Quantify RNA expression using qRT-PCR via both Taqman and SYBR Green

• Visualize and band isolate DNA and RNA using agarose gel electrophoresis

• Qualify double-stranded DNA damage using Comet DNA fragmentation assay

• Manipulate plasmid DNA, including cloning, digestion, purification, recombination, transfection and retroviral packaging and transduction

Flow Cytometry

• Examine cellular response to drug treatments via cell cycle, apoptosis, and antibody-based protein expression assays

• Analyze data for statistical significance using FlowJo software package

Animal Models

• Perform subcutaneous tumor inoculation and daily drug treatment injection in NCr nu/nu immunocompromised mice

• Isolate murine mammary tumor cell lines from MMMTV-neu transgenic mice

• Responsible for mouse necropsy, tissue sampling, paraffin-embedding, and tissue sectioning

Managerial

• Successfully wrote and received three externally funded grants

• Write and submit yearly technical reports for funded grants

• Obtain human subjects research training and protocol approval

• Mentor graduate and undergraduate students in laboratory practice and procedure in a one-on-one capacity

• Inventory and order reagents, sterile cell culture supplies, and clerical supplies within budget guidelines

• Organize and manage active cell culture facility as senior laboratory member

Computer Competencies

• Microsoft Office – Word, Excel, PowerPoint

• Adobe – Acrobat, Photoshop

• GraphPad Prism 4 Statistical Analysis software

• FlowJo Flow Cytometry Analysis software

• ImageJ analysis software

• NCBI website navigation and use

Major Equipment Experience

• Faxitron X-ray irradiator

• Laminar flow hoods and CO2 incubators

• Molecular Dynamics Storm 860 phosphorimager

• Victor3 V multilabel plate reader

• Leica TCS SP5 confocal microscope

• GE Healthcare InCell fluorescent analyzer

• BD LSRII flow cytometer

• ABI Prism qRT-PCR platform

Research/Professional Experience

SUNY-University at Albany, Cancer Research Center, Rensselaer, NY

• Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, 2008-Present

• Independent management of project, including supply ordering, technical report writing, and project performance

• External local and federal funding obtained

• Isolation and immortalization of human mammary epithelial cells

• Maintenance and management of sterile cell culture lab

University of Notre Dame, Department of Biological Sciences, Notre Dame, IN

• Graduate Fellow, 2002-2007

• Isolated and characterized murine mammary tumor cells from transgenic mice

• Obtained external federal funding

• Trained undergraduate research students in proper laboratory research etiquette and performance

Grants and Awards

Postdoctoral Training Grant, 2010-2013

• Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program Postdoctoral Training grant

• “Modeling Impact of BRCA1 and BRCA2 Mutations in Mammary Epithelial Cells”

Predoctoral Training Grant, 2006-2009

• Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program Predoctoral Training grant

• “Role of Vitamin D Receptor Functional Domains in Breast Cancer Cell Growth Regulation”

Clare Booth Luce Graduate Fellowship, 2002-2006

• University of Notre Dame intramural competitive graduate scholarshi

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