About Me
I'm a post-doctoral researcher in the Center of Cancer Systems Biology, GeneSys Research Institute, in Boston, MA. I also hold a Research Instructor position at Tufts University School of Medicine. My current interests lie in using mathematics to understand the systemic response of a host to cancer. Specifically, I study cancer immunology, the dynamics of heterogeneous cell populations in cancer progression, and the role of the tumor microenvironment in intercellular communication and tumor development.
Education
I was awarded my Doctorate in Oct. 2010 for my PhD Thesis entitled Cerebrospinal Fluid Pulsations and Aging Effects in Mathematical Models of Hydrocephalus by the Applied Mathematics department at the University of Waterloo (UW).
My Thesis investigates the mechanical effects of CSF pulsations on the brain, as well as the effect of the natural aging process of the brain on the tissue mechanical properties, and applies these results to theoretical analyses of medical hypotheses for the development of hydrocephalus. Using continuum-based models to describe the brain biomechanics, I applied both poroelastic and viscoelastic models to help understand the developmental mechanics of hydrocephalus (a condition that affects the brain). Sound interesting? Check out my research page, the Waterloo Biomechanics Research Group, or the Centre for Mathematical Medicine.
In 2005, I completed my Masters in Mathematics at UW, researching information theoretic methods to locally register regions of interest in images with specific applications to medical imaging. My research also involved fractals and wavelets. Check out the Waterloo Fractal Coding and Analysis Group for more information on fractals and wavelets in imaging.
Between my undergrad and graduate studies I attended the Atlantic Association for Research in the Mathematical Sciences (AARMS) summer school which was held at Memorial University in St. John's, Newfoundland in August 2002. In 2003, I completed an honours co-operative Bachelor of Mathematics degree also at UW in Applied Math with Electrical Engineering Electives specializing in Control Theory.
News
This summer I'll be a mentor for the ICBP's summer undergraduate research program fellow at our CCSB.
Recent Publication
Here's an upcoming review article on the systemic nature of cancer and mathematical approaches that encompass this aspect of the disease, in Mathematical Oncology [Eds. A d'Onofrio and A Gandolfi], June 22, 2014.