Work
- Co-founder of a nonprofit organization striving to unite students from global universities to envision the future of food
- Leading fundraising efforts that have raised $300k+
- Managing the hiring of 10+ student directors and staff
- Organizing an annual food systems conference with 900 total attendees from 75+ universities and 30+ countries
- Developing open-access resources for cultivated meat researchers and industry professionals
- Managing fundraising efforts for The Commercialization Lab @ TUCCA
- Independently assembled and maintained 2L and 10L bioreactors
- Conducted thorough patent analysis and literature review on toxic cellular metabolic byproducts
- Designed and executed media optimization and biocompatibility experiments involving mammalian and insect cells
Education
Tufts University
Sep 2020 - May 2024Major: Chemical Engineering
Minors: Food Systems & Cellular Agriculture
Activities and societies: Tufts Alt Protein Project (Co-Founder), American Institute of Chemical Engineers, Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honors Society
Experiences at Tufts
Undergraduate Researcher
Jun 2021 - May 2024Tufts University Center for Cellular Agriculture
- Conducted a Senior Honors Thesis on optimizing Manduca sexta suspension growth through reduction of toxic byproducts by studying and manipulating their metabolic pathways
- Studied ability for Manduca sexta cells to accumulate lipids as a cultured fat source, targeting specific fatty acid production
Co-Founder and Co-President
May 2022 - May 2024Tufts Alt Protein Project · The Good Food Institute
- Established a branch of the global Alt Protein Project at Tufts, supported by the Good Food Institute
- Expanded the alternative protein ecosystem on campus through educational initiatives, research opportunities, and community building
Laidlaw Scholar
May 2022 - August 2023Laidlaw Foundation · Tufts University Center for Cellular Agriculture
- Executed an independent research project optimizing arachidonic acid accumulation in Manduca sexta for cultivated pet food.
- Designed and piloted cultivated meat and precision fermentation curriculum for 100 students at La Escuela Pindeco in Buenos Aires, Costa Rica for K-12 biology classes.
Research & Awards
Senior Honors Thesis: Highest Honors
2024Successfully defended thesis titled 'Scale-Up and Metabolic Optimization of Manduxa sexta Non Adherent Cells for Cultivated Meat Applications', receiving the distinction of Highest Honors. This work was conducted at the Tufts University Center for Cellular Agriculture (TUCCA) under the guidance of Professor David Kaplan, Professor James Van Deventer, and mentor Sophia Letcher.
Barry Goldwater Scholarship
2023Recognized as one of 413 recipients nationwide by the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation. This award encourages outstanding students to pursue research careers in the fields of the natural sciences, engineering, and mathematics.