Graduate Research:
I am currently working as a research assistant in Dr. Eric Brouzes’ Microfluidics for Quantitative and Genomics Biology Lab. My research focuses on developing advanced single-cell genomics technology to overcome the limitations of bulk processing in analyzing cellular diversity. Traditional genomic techniques often average gene expression across whole tissues, which can mask important genetic and phenotypic variations present in rare or small subpopulations of cells. Single-cell genomics not only reveals differences at the cellular level but also offers valuable insights into processes such as cell differentiation, rare mutation identification, and disease progression.
Current single-cell genomics techniques like Drop-Seq and Seq-Well enable parallel sequencing of thousands of cells by pairing each cell with a uniquely DNA barcoded bead, which tags the cell’s genetic material for individual analysis. Despite their innovation, these methods capture only 5-10% of cells due to limitations in cell-bead pairing, as beads often end up isolated in compartments without cells due to the Poisson distribution. Our project proposes a dual-sided flip array of microwells designed for high-efficiency pairing of single cells with single DNA-barcoded beads. Each microwell compartment securely holds one bead and one cell, with one side of the array dedicated to bead loading and the other to cell loading.
Undergraduate Research:
During my time in the Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP) Program at Stony Brook University, I worked in Dr. Mei Lin Chan’s lab, focusing on developing biomedical devices for Low-Intensity Vibration (LIV) research. My primary contribution involved designing and optimizing a device capable of generating consistent low-intensity vibrations for therapeutic applications such as enhancing the activation of CD28 to determine whether LIV can improve the efficacy of CAR-T cell therapy. I gained hands-on experience with LabVIEW programming to control the device, performed PID calibration for system stability, and ensured the device met performance standards of certain frequency and acceleration. Additionally, I collaborated with my team to troubleshoot technical issues, refine the mechanical design, and analyze experimental results.
Internship:
During the summer immersion research internship at Stony Brook University, I had the opportunity to develop an obstacle detection device for the visually impaired, with the privilege of working with Dr. Wei Yin and various medical and business mentors. The device utilized a combination of an accelerometer and gyroscope for fall detection, while time-of-flight (TOF) sensors enabled real-time navigation and obstacle avoidance. I played a key role in programming the system using Arduino, integrating Bluetooth capabilities for user-friendly software design, and ensuring seamless communication between hardware components. Addressing challenges such as data calibration and troubleshooting malfunctions—like soldering wires and recalibrating sensors—strengthened my technical skills and my understanding of real-world applications for biomedical devices.
