My first job in research was in a neuroscience electrophysiology lab at UCLA. I managed the mouse colonies, trained undergraduate students, and genotyped mouse models of Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s, and Parkinson’s diseases.

My next position was in another neuroscience lab at The Salk Institute. I utilized molecular biology, animal behavior, tissue culture, stem cell biology, immunohistochemistry, and microscopy in my projects, which were primarily focused on mouse models of ALS and spinal cord injury. I am on the phone in this photo, trying to hear over the planes flying overhead from Miramar Air Force Base!

I also worked at GNF (Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation), where I was involved in drug discovery, utilizing cell culture, and ascertaining gene expression using qPCR and Western blots. I also derived stem cells from mouse brain. My projects primarily focused on cell models of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). I am in the front row of this photo, very pregnant, wearing black.

I work as an English editor for MDPI, copyediting manuscripts from a wide range of disciplines (500+ journals, a select few pictured), including the life sciences, computer science, engineering, medicine, psychology, and math. I edit both Microsoft Word and LaTeX files.

I am also the copy editor for The University of Chicago Press journal Freshwater Science. I collaborate closely with the technical editor, editor-in-chief, managing editor, and senior production controller. I work on manuscripts at multiple stages of the publication process, copyediting in Microsoft Word and proofreading in Adobe Acrobat Reader.