Hello, I’m Emma!

I have a doctorate in neuroscience & over a decade of experience conducting NIH-funded translational research related to psychiatric and demyelinating disorders.

I am proficient in advanced laboratory techniques and have a strong background in managing lab operations and leading cross-functional teams.

As a highly creative thinker, I pride myself on using unconventional approaches to tackle scientific challenges, uncovering insights that push the boundaries of our understanding of complex diseases.

I am eager to bring my scientific expertise, problem-solving skills, communication strengths, and innovative mindset to a dynamic role focused on driving discovery and development.

Click to download my paper pre-print!

Technical Skills Overview

See “Scientific Positions” and “Teaching and Mentoring Positions” tabs for more specifics.

    • Stereotactic rodent surgery:

      • Optogenetics fiber implantation

      • Virus injections

      • Local field potential (LFP) electrode implantation

      • 1-photon mini microscope surgeries

    • Intragastric feeding tube implantation

    • Spinal cord hemisection & contusion

      • Spinal microarray implantation

    • Fetal stem cell harvesting & implantation

    • Cesarean sections

    • (Experience assisting & scrubbing in to primate surgeries & perfusions)

    • Pavlovian Fear & Explicit Safety Conditioning & Discrimination

    • Y-Maze

    • Novel Object Recognition Task (NORT)

    • Open Field

    • Social Defeat

    • Social Interaction Task

    • Cue-induced feeding

    • Reversal learning

    • Plethysmography

    • Forelimb testing

    • Treadmill

    Experienced in both freely-moving & head-fixed behavioral protocols in mouse + rat during optogenetics, LFP electrophysiological recordings, 1 & 2 photon recordings, etc.

    • Design + implementation of 50+ immunofluorescence protocols, antibody testing & titering, etc.

      • DAB & silver staining

    • Intracardiac perfusion, brain & spinal cord dissection, & tissue preparation (e.g., vibratome sectioning, cryosectioning, sectioning of parafilm and plastics-embedded tissue).

    Microscopy: confocal, slide scanner, spinning disk

    • Imaris

    • ImageJ

    • GraphPad Prism

    • MedPC scripting

    • MatLab

    • Arduino

    • R (took a course)

    • Rodent timed breeding

    • Transgenic colony management & genotyping (mouse & rat)

    • Hyperbaric oxygen therapy

    • Training in machine shop, including laser cutter, 3D printing + design. (Built MedPC-style operant behavior chambers).

    • Experience building & soldering circuit boards

    • Spinal microarray construction

    • Post-operative care of spinal cord injured rats & animal husbandry

    • Exposure to RNAseq, ELISAs, Western blot, PCR.

  • Lab manager for total of 4 years (2 years in joint mouse/primate lab, 2 years in rat lab). Responsible for daily functioning of NIH and DOD-funded research labs, honing skills such as:

    • Leadership and Team Management

      • Supervision and mentoring of lab staff, technicians, and students (including masters thesis projects at UF)

      • Effective team-building and conflict resolution

      • Delegation of tasks and managing workflow efficiently

    • Laboratory Operations and Maintenance

      • Oversight of daily lab activities, ensuring smooth and safe operations

      • Equipment maintenance, purchasing, set up, and troubleshooting

      • Managing lab inventory and supplies, including ordering and stock management

    • Safety and Compliance

      • Ensuring adherence to laboratory safety protocols (e.g., biosafety, chemical safety, etc.)

      • Compliance with institutional, state, and federal regulations (Environmental Health & Safety, OSHA, IACUC, etc.)

      • Conducting safety training and audits for lab personnel

    • Budget Management

      • Managing lab finances, including budgeting, tracking expenses, and maintaining records

      • Preparing and managing grant budgets and procurement

    • Data Analysis and Reporting

      • Proficient in data management, analysis, and reporting using scientific software and tools

      • Ensuring accurate documentation and record-keeping of experimental procedures

    • Research and Experimental Design

      • Assisting with experimental design and troubleshooting of protocols

    • Project Management

      • Managing multiple projects simultaneously and meeting deadlines, collaborating across multi-lab projects (UF).

    • Communication and Collaboration

      • Liaising between different departments, researchers, and external vendors

      • Assistance with writing reports, IACUC grant proposals, and manuscripts

    • 5 years of experience teaching graduate and undergraduate level lab & lecture coursework across multiple institutions

    • Curriculum design

About me:

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