While in the BMN program at Friedman, I was a member of the Nutrition and Vision laboratory at the HNRCA. My thesis project examined how low glycemic index diets affected aging in the eye. After graduation, I chose to stay in academia for some additional training in the fields of diabetes and metabolic health. I worked as a postdoc at Boston University/Boston Medical Center in the Endocrinology, Metabolism and Nutrition lab where I conducted mechanistic studies on how glucose and fatty acids affect cardiovascular health. Both during my graduate work and as a postdoc, I also took on teaching opportunities at Friedman as a TA and at UMass Lowell and Boston University Metropolitan College as a lecturer. These experiences showed me that while I enjoyed doing science, my favorite parts of my day were when I was teaching – writing, teaching and discussing science with others. I decided to try teaching full-time, taking a position as a lecturer at Boston University College of General Studies where I not only taught lecture and lab classes, but also had the opportunity to work with a few students in the lab on independent research projects. Unexpectedly, my family had to relocate to Virginia in 2017. Since we arrived mid-semester (making transition into a university position difficult), I decided to explore the local biotech industry and began working at Bonumose, my current employer, as the Director of Nutrition Science. Bonumose is a small startup food biotech company that has developed a novel platform for the production of healthy sugars (naturally-occurring monosaccharides that have the same functionality as sucrose, but are actually good for you). My job responsibilities are incredibly diverse, but surprisingly well-matched to my past experiences, including regulatory affairs, nutrition communication and biochemistry work at the bench.
