I am a chemical biologist interested in expanding the genetic code and engineering translation systems to study protein synthesis in complex cellular environments.

My current research at Brown University focuses on mitochondrial translation and tRNA modifications in Trypanosoma brucei. I am developing orthogonal aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase/tRNA pairs for the selective labeling and manipulation of mitochondrially encoded proteins, enabling new approaches to investigate translational fidelity and gene expression within mitochondria.

Previously, I trained at Academia Sinica and Yale University, where I developed engineered aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases for the site-specific incorporation of noncanonical amino acids into proteins. My long-term goal is to establish broadly applicable platforms for studying and engineering translation across diverse biological systems, from protists and yeast to mammalian cells.