Bio

I am a Hmong-American scientist and an NIH post doctoral fellow in the department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and the BioFrontiers Institute at the University of Colorado Boulder. My research in the Anseth Research Group focuses on studying sex-specific cellular interactions in the aortic heart valve. I use tissue-mimicking hydrogel materials to engineer healthy and diseased models of the valve to investigate processes that underly aortic valve stenosis. Through my research, I hope to illuminate druggable targets that can slow down or prevent aortic valve disease. 

Prior to joining CU Boulder, I obtained my Master's and PhD in Biomedical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin. My dissertation research in the Willerson Center for Cardiovascular Modeling and Simulation at the Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences focused on studying differences in the mechanics of biological cells derived from healthy and diseased aortic heart valves. A highlight of my research is the development of a realistic, three dimensional simulation model of a cell that can help elucidate cellular properties that vary in healthy and disease scenarios (JBME 2023). 

I earned my Bachelor's of Science in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Arkansas. My undergraduate research in the Mechanobiology and Soft Materials Laboratory focused on fabricating nanofibrous scaffolds for heart valve tissue engineering applications. 

My research has been supported by funding from the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.