Lizzie M
- Research Program Mentor

PhD candidate at Tufts University

Expertise

Tissue engineering, biotechnology, reproductive health, omics, sequencing, uterine biology, endometriosis, preterm labor, pregnancy, hormones, organ on chip, microfluidics, lab on a chip, cell therapies

Bio

Hi, I'm Lizzie and I use she/they pronouns! I've now spent nearly 10 years researching the ways we can recapitulate specific human tissues in labs for the purpose of scientific study in order to develop therapies that can treat and prevent disease. I've worked on projects aimed to develop cartilage, gastrointestinal, lung, immune, and uterine tissue models. During my Master's degree, I discovered the passion I had for working in reproductive health and uterine tissue engineering. I am now pursuing my PhD in a lab focused on studying endometriosis and specifically how sex hormones impact inflammation in the uterus. My project is just getting started, but focuses on the chemical pathways involved in fertility and pregnancy. When I'm not in lab I spend my time reading, rock climbing, hiking, and camping. I love being able to get outside and enjoy the outdoors with my partner. Around the apartment, I'm always trying to find recipes to cook or bake in my cast iron. When I'm not cooking or reading, my partner and I are watching our cats chase each other around the house. I'm really passionate about my work, but also love being able to spend time finding outlets other than science with those I love.

Project ideas

Project ideas are meant to help inspire student thinking about their own project. Students are in the driver seat of their research and are free to use any or none of the ideas shared by their mentors.

Does age impact symptoms of auto-immune disease?

Create a literature review aimed at understanding the impact age can have on auto-immune disease symptoms. Students will build skills reading scientific articles and summarizing findings from various sources. With this literature review, students can propose how we can enhance a patient's quality of life, based on their findings. They can make this proposal in a paper or other format, whichever they prefer.

Coding skills

MATLAB, R

Teaching experience

I have been involved in peer mentorship programs both in my undergraduate biomedical engineering program at Georgia Tech as well as in my Master's material science and engineering program at Boston University. Additionally, during my time working in biotech, I co-led a high school internship program, was a co-mentor on an undergraduate capstone project, and was a task leader on a team of early career scientists and engineers.

Credentials

Work experience

Draper (2017 - 2022)

Senior Member of Technical Staff

Education

Georgia Institute of Technology

BS Bachelor of Science (2017)

Biomedical Engineering

Boston University

MS Master of Science candidate

Materials Science

Tufts University

PhD Doctor of Philosophy candidate