Postdoctoral Fellow: 2015-2020

Previous training: Arizona State University and University of Arizona
What allows transplanted stem cells to self-renew?  My goal is to determine when and where donor muscle cells take up position in the stem cell niche, to regulate muscle stem cell genes, and contribute to new muscle formation.  My current project studies how changes in the muscle environment, such as in muscular dystrophy, and levels of host muscle stem cells affect muscle cell engraftment.  We use skeletal muscle progenitor cells from hPSCs, and primary human satellite cells to benchmark and improve hPSC muscle cell functionality, to develop a more effective cell replacement therapy.

Awards: 2015-2016 CureDuchenne Postdoctoral Fellowship; 2016-2017 CDMD- NIH U54 Wellstone Fellowship, 2017-2019 Eli and Edythe Broad Postdoctoral Fellowship and Shaffer Foundation Fellow, 2018 MBI Boyer-Parvin Postdoctoral Research Award

Current Position:  Assistant Professor, University of California, Irvine (UCI)