Teaching and Mentoring

I aim to foster a love of learning, promote growth mindsets, and champion diversity and inclusion.

Mentorship is my passion. I get a tremendous amount of fulfillment from working with students, and have been fortunate to work directly with 18 trainees so far in my career. My students are diverse, spanning different education levels, disciplinary backgrounds, nationalities, genders, and more. I respect that each student is on their own journey—my own path to academia has not been linear—and I am committed to helping mentees meet their own goals and discover their own strengths, all while fostering a general love of science and mindset of growth.

I have also led initiatives and programs aimed at educating on a larger scale. During graduate school, I was President of the Stanford Polymer Collective, an interdisciplinary student group that organized pre-professional, networking, and outreach activities catered to Stanford’s soft matter community. I was also involved with Stanford’s Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (the “d.school”), where I helped teach design thinking to researchers and led several projects aimed at improving graduate student mental health and resilience.

Click through the photos below to learn more!

As President of the Stanford Polymer Collective (SPC), I organized outreach activities aimed at K-12 students in the Bay Area and beyond.

As President of the Stanford Polymer Collective (SPC), I organized outreach activities aimed at K-12 students in the Bay Area and beyond.

Attending my first undergraduate mentee Kathy's poster session.

Attending my first undergraduate mentee Kathy's poster session.

My d.school team created a project aimed at building resilience by helping students become more comfortable with the idea of failure in research.

My d.school team created a project aimed at building resilience by helping students become more comfortable with the idea of failure in research.

My postdoctoral mentors during my PhD, Minah Lee and Helen Tran. Their support and guidance inspire me to pay it forward to the next generation of students.

My postdoctoral mentors during my PhD, Minah Lee and Helen Tran. Their support and guidance inspire me to pay it forward to the next generation of students.

Our "cognitive toolbox": a collection of tools to help students navigate ambiguity, bounce back, and learn other critical non-technical skills that are crucial in research.

Our "cognitive toolbox": a collection of tools to help students navigate ambiguity, bounce back, and learn other critical non-technical skills that are crucial in research.

The Stanford Polymer Collective's contingent at the Italy-USA Innovation Forum held at Stanford.

The Stanford Polymer Collective's contingent at the Italy-USA Innovation Forum held at Stanford.

Recording a set of podcast episodes as part of our "cognitive toolbox" d.school project supporting graduate student mental health and resilience.

Recording a set of podcast episodes as part of our "cognitive toolbox" d.school project supporting graduate student mental health and resilience.

The Stanford Polymer Collective organizes an annual student research poster symposium, highlighting soft matter-related work on campus.

The Stanford Polymer Collective organizes an annual student research poster symposium, highlighting soft matter-related work on campus.

I was a teaching assistant for Intro to Design Thinking at Stanford. Here is an image of one student group's final project during the end-of-quarter showcase!

I was a teaching assistant for Intro to Design Thinking at Stanford. Here is an image of one student group's final project during the end-of-quarter showcase!

SPC also regularly visited companies in the Bay Area, like Carbon.

SPC also regularly visited companies in the Bay Area, like Carbon.

In my postdoc, I have had the privilege to train a wide range of mentees: undergraduates, master's thesis students, a PhD student, and a research technician.

In my postdoc, I have had the privilege to train a wide range of mentees: undergraduates, master's thesis students, a PhD student, and a research technician.

I have trained several co-op students from Northeastern University, who join my postdoc lab for 6 months at a time to gain research experience.

I have trained several co-op students from Northeastern University, who join my postdoc lab for 6 months at a time to gain research experience.

Goodbye lunch for my first Northeastern co-op student, Meghana.

Goodbye lunch for my first Northeastern co-op student, Meghana.

My first master's thesis student, Eva, who visited us from ETH Zurich and completed an excellent independent project.

My first master's thesis student, Eva, who visited us from ETH Zurich and completed an excellent independent project.

Me and Sanghyun, a talented MIT PhD student and mentee, at the Traverso lab's annual summer BBQ.

Me and Sanghyun, a talented MIT PhD student and mentee, at the Traverso lab's annual summer BBQ.

Teaching Philosophy

Growth mindset

I aim to instill in students a belief that technical and research skills are learnable, through exposure to challenges, hard work, feedback, and reflection.

Holistic training

I believe that being an effective scientist extends beyond possessing technical knowledge. My students will learn how to communicate effectively, work in teams, navigate ambiguity, and bounce back from setbacks.

Diversity and inclusion

I recognize the value of diversity and am committed to training students from all walks of life. I also strive to tailor my mentoring and teaching to accommodate different needs and aspirations.