I am majoring in neuroscience and biology with a minor in health care management. Broadly, I investigate neurodegeneration, which has fascinated me since high school. Before learning about neurodegenerative diseases, I thought that scientists had conquered their understanding of disease pathology. However, I was wrong, and I have since been investigating how choroid plexus morphology and perfusion change after the onset of Alzheimer’s disease using various imaging modalities as a part of the Detre Lab. I also hope to be able to find unique pathological indications and connections to neurodegenerative disease from MRI scans.

I am also studying Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) in Drosophila as a means of assessing whether single-gene changes can lead to a rescue of ALS phenotypes as a part of the Song Lab. In the future, I plan to translate my findings in Drosophila to IPSC models.

Outside of research, I am involved in Grey Matters at Penn, a neuroscience journal club. I have a fun time making illustrations for the articles and diving into fascinating neuroscience topics that are often not discussed. I am also involved in Penn’s Medical Emergency Response Team (MERT). In my free time, I like running.

• Fall 2025 CURF Grant Recipient (Louis H Castor, M.D., C’48 Undergraduate Research Grant)
• Johnson Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania
• Robeson Cooper Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania

I am deeply interested in neuroscience, with a focus on the biological and therapeutic mechanisms underlying neurological disorders. In high school, I worked as a lab technician at GenIran Labs, contributing to research on glioblastoma and serving as third author on the paper “Impact of GRM7 Gene Variations on Glioblastoma Risk in the Iranian Population.” Alongside this experience, I conducted independent research on transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) and vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), which strengthened my interest in neuromodulation as a potential treatment pathway.

Now a freshman at the University of Pennsylvania and a UScholar, I hope to pursue a concentration in neuroscience while expanding my research in neurogenetics and neurostimulation. Outside the lab, I engage in activities that connect science and community, such as mentoring, volunteering, and attending neuroscience seminars to stay current on advances in the field.