I am an undergraduate student studying Bioengineering at the University of Washington. I enjoy exploring the wide variety of topics within bioengineering but my current research interest is in improving point-of-care diagnostics. Improving the sensitivity and accuracy of point-of-care diagnostics is important because it enables us to better control viral infections, particularly in low-resource settings which are often the most hard-hit by the impacts of widespread disease. At the Lai laboratory, I am researching the development of a point-of-care diagnostic device for detecting viral antigens in saliva by applying temperature-responsive smart polymers for analyte enrichment. Outside of the lab, I enjoy photography and exploring Seattle!
Education and Training
2019-2023, B.S, Bioengineering
University of Washington
2015-2019
Homestead High School
Experience/Positions
2020 - Present
Lai Laboratory, Undergraduate Research Assistant, Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington
Developing a point-of-care flow-through assay for the detection of COVID-19 in saliva samples. Conducting experiments on prototypes, literature searches, and mathematical modeling to optimize the fluid flow rate of the device.
Studied the research and clinical applications of exosomes to publish a comprehensive review paper in collaboration with researchers of the National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan.
Exploring topics in and deepening understanding of nanomaterials, stimuli-responsive polymers, and biomarker detection in weekly literature review discussions with undergraduate peers.
2021 - Present
Gao Laboratory, Undergraduate Research Assistant, Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington
Exploring novel signal amplification techniques to improve the sensitivity of lateral flow assays
2019 - Present
Nguyen Laboratory, Research Intern, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Stanford University Medical Center
Conducting a first-author clinical study to explore renal impacts of hepatitis B treatments in liver transplant patients by analyzing medical databases and conducting statistical analyses (using Stata) to communicate findings in a research paper to be published.
Co-author of a clinical study published in Hepatology on effects of a new hepatitis B antiviral drug.
Conducting data analyses using UW Medicine database for research projects related to hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and liver cancer, to be used for collaborative studies with Stanford Medicine.
2021 - Present
COPE Health Scholar, Swedish Medical Center
Actively participating in patient care 4+ hours a week by taking vital signs, feeding patients, and other essential health care tasks.
Awards/Honors
2021
Rice 360 Global Health Technologies Design Competition, Semifinalist