Welcome to my webpage

I am a postdoctoral fellow in Gronert Lab at UC Berkeley’s Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry and Vision Science, where I investigate how the immune microenvironment of the optic nerve shapes the fate of neurodegeneration in glaucoma.

Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide, yet we still lack therapies that directly protect neurons from degeneration. My work addresses a fundamental gap: the optic nerve, where the fate of retinal ganglion cell axons is ultimately determined, remains poorly understood as an immune-regulated tissue. Using single-cell/spatial transcriptomics, morphOMICs, and LC/MS/MS-based lipidomics, I have identified a disease-associated microglial phenotype unique to the optic nerve during glaucomatous stress, and demonstrated that the neuroprotective lipid mediator Lipoxin B₄ can modulate this phenotype to suppress neuroinflammation and promote neuronal survival.

My long-term goal is to establish an independent research program that decodes the neuroimmune mechanisms governing optic nerve neurodegeneration and translates these findings into targeted therapies for glaucoma and related optic neuropathies. Ultimately, I want to understand why some axons survive while others degenerate, and use those answers to develop therapies that preserve vision and neuronal health.