I was born and raised in Westwood, MA, a suburb of Boston and have lived in the area ever since. I attended Boston College as a Biology/ Pre-med major, but also studied Russian Culture and Literature. After working in a lab in Boston for several years studying the molecular mechanisms of cancer, I decided to further my education in graduate school, exploring a new scientific direction. I recently completed my Ph.D. studies in Neuroscience at The University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester. My thesis investigated the neural circuitry and neurotransmitter systems underlying food-reward learning using fruit flies.
While trained in neurobiology and genetics, I've always had a passion for everything science, from all aspects of biology to chemistry and even theoretical physics and cosmology. I've also always been fascinated in history, from ancient civilizations to European history through modern day U.S. History.
I've tutored students across a range of ages and experience. I've mentored several local high school students in their science projects, two of which went on to win awards at the regional competition. I mentored a group of first-year graduate students in the UMass Biomedical Sciences Curriculum. In lab, I've instructed and mentored many incoming lab mates from undergraduate technicians to post doctoral fellows.
When I'm not in the lab, I can usually be found playing guitar and songwriting with my band, listening to new music, hitting the slopes on my snowboard or just spending a night in cooking interesting new dishes or baking bread.
My goal is to always engage my students on their level and get them as excited about the subject matter as I am. I believe its my own thirst for knowledge and the drive to always know more about what interests me that makes me a highly effective tutor.