I'm a microbiology student at BYU graduating in April 2026 with a passion for oncolytic virotherapy and translational cancer research. My goal is to bridge the gap between clinical diagnostics, computational biology, and cutting-edge cancer immunotherapy research to help develop more effective treatments for cancer patients.

He/Him

• Finishing my BS in Microbiology at BYU (graduating April 2026)
• Undergraduate research in bacteriology, virology, immunology, and proteomics (MMBIO 399R, 494R, CHEM 497R)
• Building expertise in flow cytometry and immunology lab techniques
• Planning my transition to a biotech industry role in Utah

• Organic chemistry & biochemistry - strengthening prerequisites for PhD programs
• Cancer biology & immunology - Reading Nature Immunology, Nature Cancer, and key textbooks like Oncoimmunology
• Python & R programming for genomic data science - through online courses and personal projects
• Data science & machine learning - building computational skills to complement wet lab expertise

• Research projects in virology, immunology, or cancer biology
• Open-source bioinformatics tools for genomic data analysis
• Cancer research initiatives that bridge computational and experimental approaches
• Educational resources for students pursuing non-traditional paths to PhD programs

• Networking with scientists working in oncolytic virotherapy or cancer immunology
• Advice on PhD applications from people who took non-traditional paths (industry experience before PhD)
• Bioinformatics project ideas that could strengthen my computational biology skills
• Mentorship from translational scientists who bridge clinical and research worlds

• Career planning for non-traditional paths to PhD programs
• Balancing work and graduate school (I'll be doing MS part-time while working full-time!)
• Biotech industry experience as a foundation for translational research
• Oncolytic virotherapy and cancer immunology (my passion!)
• Flow cytometry and immunology lab techniques
• Building a sustainable timeline for long-term academic/career goals

• 💼 LinkedIn: Connect with me on LinkedIn
• 📧 Email: [email protected]
• 🧬 GitHub: You're already here! Feel free to explore my projects and repositories

• 🔬 I'm building a clinical-computational-research triple threat skillset that very few scientists have
• 🌱 I'm passionate about mentoring students from non-traditional backgrounds who want to pursue research careers
• 🍳 I enjoy cooking (with or without recipes), gaming, reading and hiking in my free time!

Most PhD candidates choose one of these paths: - Traditional route: BS → PhD directly (age 22-28) - Clinical route: BS → clinical work → maybe PhD later - Computational route: BS → MS in Bioinformatics → PhD

My hybrid approach: - BS Microbiology → Biotech Industry Work → MS in Translational Bioinformatics (while working) → PhD in Oncolytic Virotherapy → Industry R&D Leadership + Adjunct Teaching

This gives me industry biotech expertise, computational biology skills, AND research training - the perfect combination for developing therapies that actually make it from the bench to the bedside! 🚀

Check out my repositories for more details on these projects:

• Bioinformatics Learning-- Projects from my journey learning Python, R, and computational biology
• Research Notes-- Documentation of my learning in cancer biology, virology, and immunology

"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now." - Chinese Proverb

I'm planting my tree now at age 26, and I'm excited to see it grow into a career advancing oncolytic virotherapy research! 🌳🔬