• Rockefeller University, New York, NY  •   PhD, 1995

• Studying vertebrate development, focusing on the mechanisms underlying the inductions and patterning of the three germ layers, and the coordinated interaction cells from distinct germ layers to form functional organs. In humans, disrupting these processes results in aberrant cell behavior and can lead to birth defects such as holoprosencephaly as well as diseases such as cancer. Therefore, elucidating the molecular, genetic and cellular mechanisms of normal development may lead to advances in the early diagnosis, treatment and prevention of human disorders.