Biography

Michelle is a graduate student in the Harvard/MIT Health Sciences and Technology Medical Engineering and Medical Physics PhD program. Her primary research interest is using single cell RNA-sequencing to determine how the tumor microenvironment regulates cancer progression and metastasis. She is also interested in developing spatially-controlled models of cell-cell interactions to better understand maintenance and dysregulation of tissue homeostasis.

Michelle grew up in the Bay Area, and graduated with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University in 2017. At Stanford, she worked with Professor Yunzhi Yang to develop angiogenesis-promoting small diameter blood vessel grafts. Her research in tissue engineering inspired her fascination with uncovering the underlying drivers of cellular heterogeneity. In her free time, Michelle enjoys playing the piano, dancing ballet, hiking, and working on STEM diversity and education outreach initiatives.