Currently at the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) · 5+ years of experience · U.S. based
Currently at NCBI · 5+ years of experience · U.S. based
Biologist Turned Product Designer. Designing Data Driven Platforms.
Biologist Turned Product Designer. Designing Data Driven Platforms.
As a scientist, I saw researchers struggle with tools built without user input. That is why I transitioned to product design — now with 5+ years creating intuitive platforms for scientific discovery. More about me.
As a scientist, I saw researchers struggle with tools built without user input. That is why I transitioned to product design — now with 5+ years creating intuitive platforms for scientific discovery. More about me.
As a scientist, I saw researchers struggle with tools built without user input. That is why I transitioned to product design — now with 5+ years creating intuitive platforms for scientific discovery. More about me.
My Work
All my work focused on the NCBI Virus resource, used by researchers worldwide to search, view and download viral sequences.
All my work focused on the NCBI Virus resource, used by researchers worldwide to search, view and download viral sequences.
Viruses shown to scale:
First row: Rabies virus, Influenza virus, HIV, Coronavirus.
Second row: Tobacco mosaic virus, Adenovirus, T7 bacteriophage, Papillomavirus, Zika virus.
The snaking virus on the right is Ebola virus.
NCBI Virus resource provides millions of sequences and associated data for these and other viruses, freely available to everyone.
Viruses shown to scale:
First row: Rabies virus, Influenza virus, HIV, Coronavirus.
Second row: Tobacco mosaic virus, Adenovirus, T7 bacteriophage, Papillomavirus, Zika virus.
The snaking virus on the right is Ebola virus.
NCBI Virus resource provides millions of sequences and associated data for these and other viruses, freely available to everyone.
Recent Projects
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2023
2023
User Research
User Research
Design System
Design System
User Flows
User Flows
Guiding researchers to critical genomic data through homepage redesign
Guiding researchers to critical genomic data through homepage redesign
Led research with 200+ participants to identify navigation barriers and redesigned the entry experience, reducing time to data discovery.
Led research with 200+ participants to identify navigation barriers and redesigned the entry experience, reducing time to data discovery.
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2024
2024
Data Organization
Data Organization
Export Workflows
Export Workflows
Redesigning how researchers navigate a complex data table and export viral genomic information
Redesigning how researchers navigate a complex data table and export viral genomic information
Analyzed how researchers filter and export data, found navigation and organization issues, and redesigned the interface with better structure and easier downloads.
Analyzed how researchers filter and export data, found navigation and organization issues, and redesigned the interface with better structure and easier downloads.
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2025
2025
Data Visualization
Data Visualization
Dashboard Integration
Dashboard
Unifying scattered dashboards to boost researcher insights
Unifying scattered dashboards to boost researcher insights
Studied how scientists use our dashboards, found discovery problems, and unified the scattered views with better filtering.
Studied how scientists use our dashboards, found discovery problems, and unified the scattered views with better filtering.
My Story
I joined NCBI as a scientist and witnessed researchers struggling with tools built in a developer-first culture. No one asked users what they needed.
This led me to advocate for user research and pursue formal education in UX and visual design. Now, after 5+ years designing for scientists, I combine my virology background with design knowledge to improve virus research tools.
5+ years
Product Designer
End-to-end design process
Complex data visualization
Public sector & research tools
User research advocacy
Cross-functional collaboration with scientists
Product Owner
Balancing business, users, and feasibility
Prioritizing in Agile workflows
Stakeholder management in public sector
Technical constraint navigation
Incremental delivery strategy
PhD
Life Science
Virology & molecular biology
Plant & fungal ecology
Scientific method & systematic thinking
Complex data analysis
Research methodology
My Work Experience
2020 - Now: Product Designer at NCBI
Led user research and usability Testing with 500+ scientlists, resulted in 3 major redesigns
Created 300+ wireframes/prototypes, resulted in 50+ feature improvements
Content desgin: created and maintained 2 help documentation centers
2018-2020: SME and Data Curator at NCBI
Content management and curation of database for virus-related resources
Wireframing and prototyping, resulted in NCBI Virus MVP design
Created 100+ different visualizations of virus-related data
2010 - 2018: Staff Scientist at Computercraft
Communication management and community outreach
Hand-coded (CSS and HTML) landing and help documentation pages for 4 virus-related resources
Co-author of 7 scientific publications about virus-related resources
2007-2009: Postdoctoral Fellow at UCSF
Identify and characterize novel human and animal viruses
First author of 3 scientific publications and co-author of 2 scientific publications
2020 - Now: Product Designer at NCBI
Led user research and usability Testing with 500+ scientlists, resulted in 3 major redesigns
Created 300+ wireframes/prototypes, resulted in 50+ feature improvements
Content desgin: created and maintained 2 help documentation centers
2018-2020: SME and Data Curator at NCBI
Content management and curation of database for virus-related resources
Wireframing and prototyping, resulted in NCBI Virus MVP design
Created 100+ different visualizations of virus-related data
2010 - 2018: Staff Scientist at Computercraft
Communication management and community outreach
Hand-coded (CSS and HTML) landing and help documentation pages for 4 virus-related resources
Co-author of 7 scientific publications about virus-related resources
2007-2009: Postdoctoral Fellow at UCSF
Identify and characterize novel human and animal viruses
First author of 3 scientific publications and co-author of 2 scientific publications
2020 - Now: Product Designer at NCBI
Led user research and usability Testing with 500+ scientlists, resulted in 3 major redesigns
Created 300+ wireframes/prototypes, resulted in 50+ feature improvements
Content desgin: created and maintained 2 help documentation centers
2018-2020: SME and Data Curator at NCBI
Content management and curation of database for virus-related resources
Wireframing and prototyping, resulted in NCBI Virus MVP design
Created 100+ different visualizations of virus-related data
2010 - 2018: Staff Scientist at Computercraft
Communication management and community outreach
Hand-coded (CSS and HTML) landing and help documentation pages for 4 virus-related resources
Co-author of 7 scientific publications about virus-related resources
2007-2009: Postdoctoral Fellow at UCSF
Identify and characterize novel human and animal viruses
First author of 3 scientific publications and co-author of 2 scientific publications
2020 - Now: Product Designer at NCBI
Led user research and usability Testing with 500+ scientlists, resulted in 3 major redesigns
Created 300+ wireframes/prototypes, resulted in 50+ feature improvements
Content desgin: created and maintained 2 help documentation centers
2018-2020: SME and Data Curator at NCBI
Content management and curation of database for virus-related resources
Wireframing and prototyping, resulted in NCBI Virus MVP design
Created 100+ different visualizations of virus-related data
2010 - 2018: Staff Scientist at Computercraft
Communication management and community outreach
Hand-coded (CSS and HTML) landing and help documentation pages for 4 virus-related resources
Co-author of 7 scientific publications about virus-related resources
2007-2009: Postdoctoral Fellow at UCSF
Identify and characterize novel human and animal viruses
First author of 3 scientific publications and co-author of 2 scientific publications
Contact Me