TEACHING & MENTORSHIP 

Shenoy Undergraduate Research Fellows in Neuroscience (SURFiN) Mentor, Simons Foundation, 2023-2024

The SURFiN program is designed to support interest in neuroscience research among undergraduate students from diverse, underrepresented backgrounds. As a mentor for this program, I designed a year-long, wet-lab research project and supervised an undergraduate researcher through to the completion and presentation of this project. During my time as a SURFiN mentor, I also received formal mentorship training based on the Center for Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER) curriculum.

CPBF Summer School: The Physics of Life, Princeton University, 2022, 2023
Lecturer

The Physics of Life is an intensive summer biophysics course designed for undergraduates with a background in physics and an interest in biological systems which is run by the Center for the Physics of Biological Function at Princeton. I worked on developing the neuroscience unit of this school, giving lectures and creating problem sets. We covered the basics of action potentials in neurons, explored neural circuits, and discussed cutting-edge systems neuroscience research. In the problem sessions students were taught to analyze high-dimensional neural activity and behavior data.

Research Mentor, Murthy Lab, Princeton University, 2021–Present; Samuel Lab, Harvard University, 2016–2021

Across my career I have mentored 19 undergraduate and graduate students. I design semi-independent projects that take students through a full cross-section of the scientific process — literature, experiments and imaging, analysis, and presenting to the lab — and teach the skills each project needs, from experimental design to coding.

Physics 141: The Physics of Sensory Systems in Biology, Harvard University, 2016, 2017, 2018
Teaching Fellow

With Professor Aravinthan Samuel, I developed a curriculum integrating physics, biology, neuroscience, statistics, and computing to teach the quantitative basis of vision, hearing, chemosensation, and other senses. We designed it to be accessible to students from both physics and biology backgrounds, and I built supplementary lessons covering foundational concepts and practical coding. I taught the course for three years, iterating on the material each year, and received the Derek Bok Center's Distinction in Teaching Award for this work.

Integrated Science Curriculum Mentor, Princeton University, 2012-2014

While an undergraduate at Princeton, I mentored underclassmen in the ISC program, providing tutoring support in math, physics, and coding.

OUTREACH

FlyWire Academy, 2023-present

I led the effort to build educational materials and curricula from our whole-brain fly connectome data, bringing cutting-edge neuroscience into high school and college classrooms. I developed videos, worksheets, and interactive dry-lab lessons, built a digital platform that interfaces directly with the live dataset, and worked with the Princeton Scientific Outreach Office on dissemination. The materials have been used in courses at 12 colleges and high schools over two academic years.

Skype a Scientist, 2020-2024
Volunteer Speaker

Skype a Scientist is a program which connects volunteer scientists to teachers or parents, giving children the opportunity to virtually speak with scientists, learn about various scientific topics, and get their questions about science and the natural world answered. I have prepared and given interactive virtual lessons to children of various age groups, both on my research specifically and physics or neuroscience more generally. I have taught virtual classes across the country, including schools in Massachusetts, California, New York, Washington DC, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Georgia.

BioBus, 2018-2019
Volunteer

I have served as a local scientist volunteer during the annual visits of the BioBus mobile lab to the Boston area. BioBus is a NYC-based program designed to give students in underfunded schools access to cutting edge scientific equipment and instruction, and foster stronger relationships between scientists and their local communities. I gave hands-on science and microscopy lessons to elementary and middle school classes at local schools, and developed science lessons based on my research projects, tailored to students of different age groups.