teaching

  • 2022
    Neural Systems and Behavior

    Teaching Assistant, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA

    Intensive two-week summer course where I taught students two-photon calcium imaging techniques and data analysis while they conducted experiments investigating interneuron function in autism mouse models. The immersive format, with students working full days in the lab, reinforced how transformative experiential, hands-on learning can be.

    2019-2022
    INP Data Analysis Boot Camp

    Instructor, Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University

    Five-day intensive boot camp for incoming neuroscience PhD students, combining hands-on coding with statistical concepts, reproducibility practices, and collaborative problem-solving. Students learned to build analysis pipelines, critically evaluate statistical choices, and work with real neuroscience datasets.

    2021
    Neuromatch Academy

    Mentor

    Guided international student teams through final projects for a three-week online computational neuroscience course, helping them apply machine learning and modeling techniques to neuroscience questions.

    2012-2014
    PSL 432: Theoretical Physiology

    Teaching Assistant, University of Toronto

    Graduate-level course covering mathematical and computational approaches to understanding physiological systems. Developed problem sets emphasizing real-world applications of differential equations and dynamical systems to biological questions.

    2007-2008
    Mathematics

    Teaching Assistant, University of Waterloo

    • MATH 137: Calculus 1 for Honours Mathematics
    • MATH 127: Calculus 1 for the Sciences
    • MATH 212/ECE 206: Advanced Calculus 2 for Electrical Engineers
    • AMATH 382: Computational Modeling of Cellular Systems
    • AMATH 231: Calculus 4 (Vector Integral Calculus)

  • I have mentored graduate and undergraduate students across multiple institutions, working with trainees from rotation-length projects through senior theses and full PhD trajectories.

    15+
    trainees mentored
    3
    undergraduates from sophomore year through senior thesis
    1
    Kavli Undergraduate Thesis Prize
    2017-2023
    Cardin Lab Undergraduates

    Yale University

    Guided three undergraduates, including students participating in Yale's STARS program (Science, Technology and Research Scholars), from sophomore year through senior thesis completion, working part-time during the academic year and full-time in summers. One received the Kavli Undergraduate Thesis Prize, and all three became co-authors on peer-reviewed publications.

    2015-2025
    Cardin Lab Graduate Student Mentorship

    Yale University

    Trained and mentored two PhD students from their first year through thesis defense in two-photon calcium imaging, surgical techniques, experimental design, coding, and data analysis, and guided them through manuscript and conference preparation. Across the lab, I trained students and postdocs in surgical techniques, imaging-rig use and troubleshooting, behavioural task design, and quantitative and computational methods, and supported them in writing grants and preparing presentations and manuscripts. I also shared analysis pipelines and code with new trainees to help them get up and running on their own projects.

    2009-2015
    Skinner Lab Trainees

    University of Toronto

    As a graduate student, mentored masters and undergraduate students on computational neuroscience projects, training them in building biophysical models, integrating experimental and computational approaches, constructing presentations, and writing fellowship and grant applications. Later mentored newer graduate students through the same range of skills.

    Skills and training provided

    Experimental

    • Surgical techniques (cranial windows, viral injections)
    • Two-photon calcium imaging (acquisition, equipment maintenance, troubleshooting)
    • Behavioral training and task design
    • Hardware integration (Teensies, DAQ systems)

    Computational

    • Image processing and calcium signal extraction (Suite2p, custom pipelines)
    • Large-scale data processing and cluster computing
    • Mixed-effects models, GLMs, and quantitative statistics
    • Machine learning approaches (dimensionality reduction, classification)
    • Python, MATLAB, version control, reproducible workflows

    Scientific development

    • Scientific writing and manuscript preparation
    • Talks and poster presentations
    • Experimental design and hypothesis development
    • Critical reading of literature
    • Career development and planning

  • Reducing barriers in STEM is most effective when it is structural rather than ad hoc. My contributions span institutional leadership, programs that broaden access, and educational content for audiences that are often underserved.

    2016-2023
    Women and Gender Minorities in Science at Yale (WISAY)

    Mentor and Lead Organizer

    As an organizing member, helped establish a campus-wide mentorship program connecting postdocs with faculty that grew to serve over 80 postdocs across Yale. Co-organized an international panel discussion with the Nencki Institute in Poland, bringing together over 500 participants to address gender parity in STEM.

    2020-2023
    Yale Neuroscience Postdoc Committee

    Founding Member

    Developed a thesis-committee-style initiative providing structured support during the postdoc-to-faculty transition, a career stage where representation of women and underrepresented groups drops sharply.

    2021
    NeuroMatch Academy

    Mentor

    Mentored international student teams through final projects in computational neuroscience, supporting the platform's mission to democratize access to computational training.

    2019
    Open Labs

    Contributor

    Created educational content making complex neuroscience concepts accessible to high school students, with particular attention to reaching schools that have limited STEM resources.

    2022-2023
    Cardin Lab Summer Undergraduate Journal Club

    Organizer, Yale University

    Organized a structured summer journal club for undergraduate researchers in the lab. Each student chose a paper from a curated reading list and worked with an assigned graduate student or postdoc mentor to read, prepare, and present to the full lab, typically completing two to three cycles per summer.

    Equity and inclusion training

    Sustained training in equity, inclusion, and accessibility practices, including:

    • Fundamentals of Teaching in STEM with a focus on DEI (Yale Center for Teaching and Learning)
    • Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science Women in STEM Workshop
    • Trans inclusion training
    • Positive space awareness
    • Implicit bias recognition
    • Suicide prevention training