Casey is interested in using an interdisciplinary approach to study how physical properties (mechanical, electrical, magnetic, chemical, etc...) couple in cells, the extracellular matrix (ECM, the scaffold that maintains tissue structure), and tissues, and how we can exploit this coupling to control cell behaviors for applications in disease treatment. She obtained a dual major in Biological and Mathematical Sciences from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, with an undergraduate thesis studying cell-cell communication using experiments and mathematical modeling, supervised by George Edick. During two summer internships and for a year after her Bachelor’s, she worked as a Research Trainee in the Integrated Mathematical Oncology (IMO) Department of Moffitt Cancer Center, supervised by Dr. Alexander Anderson, Dr. Mark Robertson-Tessi, and Kimberly Luddy, using both cell culture experiments and mathematical modeling to study how tumors evolve to survive immune system attack. Afterwards, Casey completed a DPhil in Condensed Matter Physics, Applied Mathematics, and Systems Biology at the University of Oxford, supervised by Prof. Sonia Contera and Prof. Sarah Waters, using cutting edge atomic force microscopy to study how properties of the ECM help regulate cell behaviors. After her DPhil, she completed a Postdoc in Engineering Sciences at Oxford, supervised by Prof. Antoine Jerusalem, studying how the physical properties of neurons control neuronal firing, and how anesthetics and ultrasound alter these properties. She joined Prof. Shi’s lab in August, 2023, and looks forward to studying how the physical properties of neurons change and relate to their function after injury, and using this information to improve our understanding of how brain injury propagates and causes other neurological conditions.
