I am trained as a biochemist and structural biologist and have recently joined Pfizer as a principal scientist in Analytical Research and Development group. Prior to joining Pfizer, I was an associate research scientist and assistant director in the Cryo-electron microscopy (Cryo-EM) center at Columbia University Medical Center. The center was established by Nobel Laureate Dr. Joachim Frank and hosts five advance Cryo-TEMs. As a member in the facility management team, my duties were to provide technical supports, including microscope maintenance, user training, Cryo-EM data collection and data analysis.

I obtained my Ph.D. degree from University of Colorado Anschutz medical campus. My thesis project mainly focused on understanding the molecular mechanism of alpha-synuclein (αSyn) protein aggregation, which is the initiation step of Parkinson’s disease (PD). After completing my Ph.D. degree, I did my postdoctoral research at University of Colorado Anschutz medical campus working on understanding the catalytic mechanism of Streptococcal Pneumonia IgA1 protease and novel vaccine development to prevent Streptococcal Pneumonia infection.