Cetacean cerebral enlargement predates the evolution of the human brain by over 40 million years! My postdoctoral research will investigate how cetaceans (whale and dolphins) have evolved unique cellular and molecular mechanisms to tolerate hypoxia and other extreme environmental conditions in vitro.

Alzheimer’s disease is one of the leading causes of death and affects more than 55 million people worldwide. Research has so far suggested that people with ovaries are disproportionately burdened by Alzheimer’s. My work aims to uncover the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying potential sex differences using bioinformatics and multi’omics.

Letrozole is an aromatase inhibitor and adjuvant therapy for estrogen-receptor positive (ER+)-breast cancers. They are accompanied by severe side effects, yet the mechanisms underlying these side effects are under studied. We used RNA-sequencing to identify gene expression changes with oral drug treatment in a primate model of human aging. DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2022.105281

Estrogens have been studied extensively for their roles in reproductive behaviors, yet these incredible horomones are synthesized de novo in the brain and engage in autocrine, paracrine, and endocrine signaling throughout the brain and body. We review estrogen signaling, its regulation of gene expression, and targets in the brain with ideas for needed future areas of study.