Leslie Abbott

Working in the lab of Dr. Carsten Marr, his research contributes to advancing the diagnosis, treatment, and understanding of severe blood disorders by developing machine learning algorithms to classify individual cells and patients. His lab leverages single-cell big data analysis to identify potential drug targets and applied mechanistic mathematical models to time-resolved data based on haematopoiesis. My role in the project included the following:

• Tested the accuracy and efficacy of image-based software for classifying leukemia
• Reviewed patient data from LMU and compared machine-generated results to actual clinical outcomes
• Analyzed scripts and proposed edits to improve efficiency

Working under Dr. Anita Fernandez, I assist in her research using C. elegans to model the correlation between a dhc-1; mel-28 double mutants and a severely reduced brood size. Her research looks at why a simultaneous disruption of dynein and mel-28 can lead to failure of the oocyte maturity program. My role in the project consists of the following tasks

• Working with RNA interference-based genetic interaction screening using mel-28 and wild-type larvae
• Developed Python scripts to analyze RNAi screening data and asses correlation patterns

Working under Dr. Isaac Macwaan, I assist in his research on the modeling and simulation of bacteriorhodopsin, a protein embedded in a bacterial membrane, and its interaction with a synthetic polymer that is experimentally used in electrospinning. We compared this to the bacteriorhodopsin's interaction with a carbon nanotube and graphene oxide nanoparticle. My role in the project is as follows:

• Utilizing Visual Molecular Dynamics, VMD, to display and analyze biopolymers
• Utilizing NAMD2 and CHARMM to design high-performance simulations of biomolecular systems
• Performing basic and exhaustive analyses on the simulations, including but not limited to NAMD energy, salt bridges, root mean square deviation, interaction energy, optimal distances from adsorbent, timelines, solvent accessible surface area, and Ramachandran plots
• Research Presented at Biomedical Engineering Soceiety 2024 and American Physical Society 2025

Working under Dr. Danushka Bandara, I assisted in his research involving the application of machine learning to brain activity data. Specifically, he looks at the identification of potential task-shedding shedding events using fNIRS and CNNs to identify the specific brain regions associated with cognitive functions that tend to experience strain when undertaking demanding mental tasks. My role in the project included the following:

• Assisting in the fNIRS setup and completion
• Assisting in analyzing the visual imagery utilizing convolutional neural networks
• Computerizing tabular data that was recorded throughout the spectroscopy learning
• Research presented at Northeastern BioEngineering Conference 2024

As a student in a website development course, I worked with a small group to develop a modernized website for a nonprofit proliteracy organization based in Bridgeport, CT.

• Designed website layouts and user interfaces according to client specifications
• Developed and maintained websites using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, JQuery
• Documented coding processes in order to facilitate easy maintenance of websites by other developers
• Implemented responsive design techniques for optimal viewing experiences across multiple devices

• Carrying out multi-step organic synthesis to create compounds with specific properties or structures.
• Ensuring the accuracy of instruments such as pH meters, balances, or chromatography systems by adjusting them to known standards.
• Accurately recording experimental procedures, observations, and results, ensuring comprehensive documentation for reproducibility and regulatory compliance.

• Processed invoices, payments, and incoming and outgoing mail
• Provided customer service support, responding to inquiries in a timely manner
• Created and maintained filing systems, both electronic and paper-based, to facilitate quick retrieval of documents