Research Overview
My research spans calcium signaling, mechanotransduction, super-resolution microscopy, and nucleic acid nanotechnology. Work across multiple labs has contributed to understanding cellular signaling mechanisms from the molecular to systems level.
Research Areas
Current Work
PIEZO1 Mechanosensitive Channels
Pathak Lab, UC Irvine (2018-Present)
Investigation of PIE
ZO1 protein localization and activity using advanced fluorescence microscopy techniques.
Recent Projects
DNA-Based Information Storage
Boise State University (2019-2022)
Developed a nucleic acid memory system using DNA origami and DNA-PAINT super-resolution microscopy for digital data storage.
Conservation Data Analysis
Sound Science, LLC (2017-2020)
Applied machine learning and geospatial analysis to land management and ecological conservation projects.
Previous Research
Single-Molecule Calcium Imaging
Parker Lab, UC Irvine (2010-2016)
Pioneered optical patch-clamp techniques to study IP3 receptor channel dynamics during calcium puffs at single-channel resolution.
Lysosomal Calcium Signaling
Patel Lab, University College London (2002-2010)
Characterized NAADP receptors and lysosomal calcium release mechanisms in neurons and sea urchin eggs.
Plant Calcium Signaling
Sanders Lab, University of York (1998-2002)
PhD research identifying and characterizing NAADP-induced calcium release from the endoplasmic reticulum in higher plants.
Techniques & Methods
Microscopy
- Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence (TIRF)
- DNA-PAINT super-resolution imaging
- STORM (Stochastic Optical Reconstruction Microscopy)
- Confocal and light-sheet microscopy
- Optical patch-clamp (single-channel calcium imaging)
Computational Methods
- Custom image analysis software development
- Machine learning for image classification
- Stochastic modeling of ion channel dynamics
- Big data processing (cloud and local)
- Geospatial data analysis
Molecular Biology
- DNA origami assembly
- Cell culture and transfection
- Fluorescent probe development
- PCR assay development
- Protein expression and purification
Publications by Research Area
A. PIEZO1 Studies (Pathak Lab)
1 publication (2024)
B. Digital Nucleic Acid Memory (Boise State)
3 publications (2021-2024)
C. IP3R-Mediated Calcium Signals (Parker Lab)
8 publications (2012-2020)
D. NAADP Receptors and Lysosomal Calcium (Patel Lab)
8 publications (2003-2011)
E. Plant Calcium Signaling (Sanders Lab)
2 publications (2000)
F. Conservation Biology (Sound Science)
1 publication (2019)
Honors & Awards
- Poster Prize, Gordon Research Conference on Calcium Signaling (2015)
- BBSRC Studentship for PhD research (1998)
Professional Development
Recent Certifications: - BIF003x: Statistical Analysis in Bioinformatics (2020) - IBM Applied AI with Deep Learning (2019) - Deep Learning Specialization (Coursera, 2018) - Apache Spark and Machine Learning (Berkeley, 2016) - GIS Data Formats and Quality (UC Davis, 2017)
Explore individual research projects using the navigation menu.