My long-standing research goals are to explore the molecular mechanisms of RNA-binding proteins and to identify how they are co-opted in cancer. After obtaining my bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley, I investigated microRNA processing at Harvard Medical School as a postbaccalaureate researcher. I continued my pursuit of RNA biology during my graduate studies in the laboratory of Dr. Ryan Potts at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, where I characterized the first RNA-binding Melanoma Antigen Gene (MAGE) family member and determined its function in the context of cancer and stem cells. As a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Iannis Aifantis at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, I am investigating regulators of mRNA processing in leukemia. Through these studies, I hope to understand how RNA-binding proteins contribute to the leukemic state and identify novel therapeutic strategies.