Olivia T
- Research Program Mentor
PhD candidate at UCSF-UC Berkeley Joint Doctoral Program
Expertise
Glia biology, neuroscience/neurodevelopment, CRISPR, image analysis, -omics
Bio
Hello! My name is Olivia Teter, and I am a PhD candidate in the joint Berkeley-UCSF Bioengineering Doctoral Program. I use functional genomics approaches to characterize the role of microglia in neurodevelopment. Functional genomics is a versatile approach, and we use it to pair CRISPRi/a perturbations to cellular phenotypes that we can measure with high-content imaging, fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS), or transcriptomics. Microglia, the resident immune cells of the central nervous system, are important for regulating neuronal synapses, responding to immune insults, and eliminating cellular debris or protein aggregates. I introduce disease-specific genetic perturbations into microglia with CRISPRi and quantify how their interactions with neuronal synapses change. My lab is located in San Francisco, so on the weekends I go to the beach, hike, or cheer on the Giants. The west coast has been a big change, since I grew up and went to university in Pennsylvania. Fortunately, my friends and family from the east coast have been happy to make trips to California to visit (especially in the winter)! I hope my diverse training and research experiences help to curate a great mentor-mentee relationship! I look forward to the opportunity to discuss science with you.Project ideas
CRISPR as a therapeutic intervention
Demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the molecular basis of CRISPR and the strengths and limitations of the technology by proposing and designing a CRISPR therapeutic for a genetic disorder.
Coding skills
Python, MATLAB, RTeaching experience
At university, I helped plan the curriculum for a science communication class. As a graduate student, I have mentored rotation students (first year graduate students) and four polygence scholars.Credentials
Work experience
Education
Reviews
"Olivia is a wonderful mentor. She is very thoughtful, personable and overall the best mentor a mentee could ever wish for. She took the teaching the concept portion of the program very seriously I learned so many new things on the topic I was researching. I can definitely say she really inspired me to keep doing research! You can also tell that she puts a lot of time and effort for her mentees through her attention to detail and her comments. She really does her best to give you a deep and detailed review of your work. I always gained some very good insight when editing my work! I also really appreciated that Olivia took the time and energy to go through the thick and thin of a research project and make sure that I had a great learning experience. I was beyond delighted on having Olivia as my mentor and I am most definitely sure you will too."
