Since graduating from UB, my proudest professional achievement has been filing a patent for my work in the gene therapy space at Thermo Fisher Scientific. Equally rewarding has been being part of an exceptional team that has successfully launched several products, helping our customers develop groundbreaking therapies that have the potential to improve patients' lives.

The most meaningful part of my time in the Pharmacology department was the relationships I built along the way. From my fellow students to the faculty and staff, both within PMY and beyond, I was fortunate to be surrounded by people who were always willing to offer career guidance, provide thoughtful feedback on my research, or simply lend a listening ear.

I would tell my younger self not to be afraid to put myself out there. Some of the opportunities I was most hesitant to pursue, namely internships, grant funding, and conferences, turned out to be the most impactful experiences of my graduate career.

One of the greatest strengths I gained during my time in PMY was the ability to communicate science effectively. Throughout my PhD, I had opportunities to present my research at conferences, write grant proposals, and participate in media commentaries. These experiences helped me develop the confidence to share my work with both scientific and non-scientific audiences, a skill that continues to be invaluable in my career today.

Although my scientific expertise is rooted in molecular neuroscience, I consider my greatest expertise to be planning and project management. I've always been an organized person, but my graduate training gave me the opportunity to develop those skills by designing, prioritizing, and executing complex experiments within tight timelines. My experience in industry has only strengthened those abilities, making them just as important to my role as my scientific training.

When I was younger, I wanted to become a pharmacist. As I progressed through my education, however, I discovered that what I truly loved was asking questions and uncovering the answers through research. That passion led me to pursue a PhD in pharmacology, where I studied substance use disorders to better understand how illicit substances affect the brain. Today, I apply that same curiosity and scientific mindset to developing products that help make the development of antibody therapies more efficient.

I like to celebrate my successes by ordering a special dinner and dessert to share with my family.