Research Summary:

Craniofacial anomalies constitute the most common birth malformations worldwide. Disruptions in the signaling programs that guide craniofacial development is one of the various ways in which a craniofacial anomaly can arise. The process by which a homogenous tissue develops into a multi-differentiated structure is driven in part by gene network domain specification and subsequent partitioning of signaling programs into distinct domains. Focusing on one prominence, the mandibular prominence, my lab recently identified a functional opposing network establishing the oral-aboral axis of the mandibular epithelium. My thesis project focuses on how these identified factors antagonize each other to partition the oral and aboral domains, and how this program is propagated to the mesenchyme through downstream targets.

Honors & Awards:

Oral Health Research T-90 Pre-Doctoral Training Grant (2025-2026)

Genetics T-32 Pre-doctoral Training Grant (2024 - 2025)