Scholarship and Biography
I earned my Ph.D. in Biology at MIT, in 2007. My focus at Brandeis, since I began here in 2012, has been on teaching and advising undergraduate students. Before devoting myself to teaching, my research primarily focused on using protein biochemistry and genetics approaches to better understand the roles, activity, and regulation of DNA damage response factors in yeast and bacteria, particularly damage tolerance pathways including translesion DNA polymerases.
At Brandeis, I regularly teach our introductory genetics course (Genetics and Genomics, BIOL 14a). I also teach upper-level courses in genetics, molecular biology and cancer biology. In my teaching, I aim to support every individual student in conceptual understanding and analytical thinking, and also in becoming a more skillful and independent learner. I am also highly aware that the students’ learning is a social activity; my classes encourage students to work together and support each other.
Another major role I have here is Biology Undergraduate Advising Head. In this position, I strive to implement our curricular goals effectively for the student population as a whole, and also for individuals in unusual situations. This requires communication and collaboration across campus: with other faculty, with the Biology Curriculum Committee, and with staff in Academic Services, the Registrar and the Biology Department, not mention undergraduates majoring in (or considering) biology. While their educational background has trained many students to focus on external token rewards in education, I encourage every one of them to also notice their own interests, and to prioritize gaining the experiences and expertise they find most intrinsically rewarding and satisfying.
Before coming here, I have learned a tremendous amount about teaching from other educators: as a part of the MIT HHMI Education Group; teaching introductory biology at MIT for a semester as a Technical Instructor; teaching in the High School Outreach Program at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard; and teaching Biochemistry at Suffolk University. In 2013-14, I had the honor of being one of the Davis Fellows, a group of faculty working together to share and develop our best practices in teaching. I have twice received Provost's Teaching Innovation Grants, for two different projects, in 2015 and in 2018.