I am an early career investigator in the process of starting my research laboratory as an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. I am highly motivated to build a cutting-edge research program investigating the role of microglia, the immune cells of the brain, in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Specifically, I will investigate the role of calcium dysregulation in microglia cells in the context of AD. I have the necessary expertise to carry out studies in this area due to both my graduate training at The Ohio State University under the tutelage of Gary Wenk, where I examined the role of calcium channels in chronic neuroinflammation, and my postdoctoral training at Massachusetts General Hospital under the tutelage of Bradley Hyman, where I examined the role of microglia in AD tau pathology as well as the role of calcium dysregulation on gene expression in AD.
In addition, I have successfully managed undergraduate trainees, collaborated with researchers across several fields, and published peer-reviewed publications based on these projects. Overall, my background in neuroimmunology and Alzheimer’s disease will allow me to successfully devise, manage, and complete the proposed research project on microglia calcium regulation using innovative techniques including Designer Receptors Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs (DREADDs) and microglia-specific conditional knockout mice.