Research

I am a computational and molecular biologist working at the intersection of transcriptomics, evolutionary genetics, and multi-omic data integration. My work asks how gene expression is shaped by signaling pathways, sex, genetic background, and environmental context — pairing rigorous experimental design with reproducible computational analysis.

Research Framework

My dissertation work in the Graze Lab attacks one question from three angles:

flowchart LR
    Q["Central question:<br/>How does insulin signaling<br/>regulate sex-differential<br/>gene expression?"]
    P1["<b>Mode of regulation</b><br/><i>Dial vs. Switch?</i><br/>graded perturbation"]
    P2["<b>Sex × Genotype</b><br/>natural variation<br/>across DSPR lines"]
    P3["<b>Isoform level</b><br/>splicing vs.<br/>transcript abundance"]
    P1 --> Q
    P2 --> Q
    P3 --> Q
    Q --> O["Evolutionary constraint<br/>on hormone-regulated genes"]
    classDef question fill:#03244d,stroke:#03244d,color:#fff,stroke-width:2px;
    classDef project fill:#ffffff,stroke:#1a5276,color:#03244d,stroke-width:1.5px;
    classDef outcome fill:#f5f5f5,stroke:#555,color:#333,stroke-width:1px;
    class Q question;
    class P1,P2,P3 project;
    class O outcome;

Dissertation Projects — Graze Lab

Advisor: Dr. Rita M. Graze · Auburn University · 2017–Present

Question. Does the insulin/insulin-like signaling (IIS) pathway regulate sex-differential gene expression through a graded (dial-like) response, or through a threshold (switch-like) response?

Approach. A graded-perturbation RNA-seq experiment in adult D. melanogaster heads spanning multiple intermediate doses of IIS signaling — designed specifically to distinguish these two modes.

Pipeline. DESeq2 differential expression · robust outlier detection · dose-response clustering · functional enrichment.

Status. Manuscript in preparation (“Dial or Switch?”).

Question. How does natural genetic variation shape sex-specific transcriptional responses to IIS perturbation?

Approach. A large multifactor RNA-seq experiment (genotype × sex × treatment × environment) across multiple DSPR-derived lines spanning natural genetic backgrounds.

Pipeline. Differential expression · WGCNA co-expression networks · cross-sex genetic correlations to quantify evolutionary constraint on hormone-regulated genes.

Status. Analysis in progress; manuscript to follow.

Question. Are sex-differential IIS responses driven by changes in total transcript abundance, or by changes in alternative splicing?

Approach. Isoform-level quantification and alternative splicing analysis with rMATS turbo across the 320-sample multifactor dataset.

Pipeline. Isoform quantification · differential splicing testing · functional annotation of splice events.

Status. Analysis in progress.

The dial-vs-switch question, in one picture

A graded-perturbation design — sampling expression across many intermediate levels of IIS rather than just on/off — is what lets us tell these two regimes apart for any given sex-differential gene.

Summer 2026 — Stevison Lab

PI: Dr. Laurie Stevison · NIH-R35: “The Role of Oogenesis in Speciation”

Analyzing integrated RNA-seq and ATAC-seq data from two Drosophila species (D. melanogaster and D. pseudoobscura) to characterize how thermal stress disrupts oogenesis — joining transcriptomic and chromatin-accessibility evidence. I am also performing single-cell RNA-seq library preparation for collaborative Graze lab samples, contributing to a first-authored publication (Hatch-seed and NIH MIRA support).

Master’s Research — Population Genetics Lab

Advisor: Dr. A.H.M. Nurun Nabi · University of Dhaka · 2016–2017

Patient-derived case-control cohort studies of genetic associations involving GATA3, mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunits, hTERT, and related loci — combining SNP genotyping, telomere length quantification, and bioinformatics annotation. Results published in five peer-reviewed articles.

For the full list of publications and conference talks, see the Publications page.