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, then redesigned the entry experience, reducing time to data discovery.

Led research with 200+ participants to identify navigation barriers, then 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, identified navigation and organization issues, and redesigned the interface with better structure and easier downloads

Analyzed how researchers filter and export data, identified 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, identified issues with data discovery, and unified the scattered views with better filtering.

Studied how scientists use our dashboards, identified issues with data discovery, and unified the scattered views with better filtering.

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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 of designing for scientists, I combine my virology background with design knowledge to improve virus research tools.

My Resume

My Resume

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

Contact Me

Currently seeking new opportunities in product design.

Email Me

Email Me