About

I finished my PhD in neuroscience at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill in January 2024 and have since transitioned to a data engineering role at Atorus Research Inc..

Research Interests

  • Biotechnology
  • Clinical research & analytics
  • Translational medicine
  • Data science
  • Data visualization

Education

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
PhD, Neuroscience
- Advisor: Jessica R. Cohen, PhD

Chapel Hill, NC
January 2024

  • Dissertation: Categorical and dimensional investigations of dynamic functional connectivity and behavior in children with and without ADHD

Vassar College
B.A., Neuroscience and Behavior
Advisor: J. Mark Cleaveland, PhD
Research Advisor: Lori A. Newman, PhD

Poughkeepsie, NY
May 2019

Experience

Principal Data Solutions Engineer
Senior Data Solutions Engineer
Data Solutions Engineer

Atorus Research Inc.
Analytics Engineering

February 2026 - Present
February 2025 - Present
February 2024 - February 2025

  • Participated in the development of Open Val™, a subscription-based, validated package-delivery system for clinical trial data workflows in support of the R programming language.
  • Led a team of engineers and programmers in developing, implementing, and maintaining standardized operating procedures to ensure code quality and reproducibility.
  • Maintained a code base using software versioning tools (e.g., git) and continuous integration best practices via the Azure DevOps environment.
  • Created and maintained technical documentation, including user guides and troubleshooting manuals for software product specifications.
  • Advised clients on best practices for validation and application of statistical software in data analysis and visualization for FDA regulatory submissions.
  • Ensured open-source software adhered to CDISC standards via the Study Data Tabulation Model Implementation Guide (SDTM IG) and Analysis Data Model Implementation Guide (ADaM IG).
  • Contributed to an open-source, modularized toolbox that enables development of ADaM datasets in R: Straub B, Bundfuss S, Bearham M, Cascone A, Dahnert K, Dickinson J, Farrugia R, Gautier F, Mancini E, Miller G, Patil L, Rothstein J (2026). admiral: ADaM in R Asset Library. R package version 1.4.1, https://pharmaverse.github.io/admiral/.

Graduate Research Assistant

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Neuroscience Curriculum
Chapel Hill, NC

February 2020 - January 2024

  • Advisor: Jessica R. Cohen, PhD

  • Managed, prepared, and submitted applications to the Institutional Review Board (IRB) for multiple research projects, ensuring compliance with ethical guidelines, institutional policies, and study protocols.

  • Prepared and submitted grant applications to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in accordance with the latest policies and regulations.

  • Applied advanced functional MRI techniques to probe the neural underpinnings of cognition in clinical populations.

  • Wrote scripts in R, python, bash, and MATLAB for the processing and analysis of large timeseries datasets.

  • Contributed to the development and maintenance of a department-wide processing pipeline for large-scale MRI datasets.

  • Executed the management, organization, and manipulation of hundreds of GBs of data

  • Developed weekly programming and training sessions for undergraduate research assistants.

Analytics Engineering Intern

Atorus Research Inc.

July 2023 - August 2023

  • Participated in the development of Open Val, a subscription-based, validated package-delivery system for clinical trial analyses in support of the R programming language.
  • Created and tested code for new statistical, machine learning, pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic, genomic, and utility R packages while assisting in the creation of risk assessment processes in clinical trial analysis.
  • Implemented code using the Azure DevOps environment for continuous testing and version control.

Instructional Assistant

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Department of Psychology and Neuroscience
Chapel Hill, NC

April 2020 - May 2023

  • Served as a teaching assistant for introductory and upper-level psychology and neuroscience courses.

Neuroscience PhD Rotation Student

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Biological & Biomedical Sciences Program
Chapel Hill, NC

April 2019 - April 2020

  • Advisors: Eran Dayan, PhD; John H. Gilmore, MD; Jessica R. Cohen, PhD

  • Used neuroimaging techniques to examine brain networks across the lifespan suring three separate laboratory rotations under the direction of Drs. Dayan, Gilmore, and Cohen.

Neuroimaging Research Intern

South Shore Neurologic Associates, P.C.
Research Subdivision
Patchogue, NY

  • Advisor: Mark Gudesblatt, MD

December 2017 - May 2019

  • Collected, organized, and analyzed data from clinical studies focused on the effects of medication exposure, fatigue level, and sleep quality on multiple sclerosis symptomatology in humans.
  • Conducted statistical analyses and created figures, abstracts, and posters for Multiple Sclerosis Journal and the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis Congress in 2018.
  • Presented advanced statistical findings to technical and non-technical audiences.

Neuroscience & Behavior Laboratory Intern
Undergraduate Research Assistant

Vassar College
Department of Neuroscience
Poughkeepsie, NY

August 2017 - May 2019

  • Advisor: Lori A. Newman, PhD

  • Collaborated with Dr. Lori A. Newman in an undergraduate laboratory research setting researching the structure and function of astrocytes and glial cells in rodent models.

  • Ensured compliance with Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee guidelines in the planning and execution of non-human animal research by developing and adhering to study protocols and monitoring the laboratory group’s adherence to ethical standards.

  • Wrote data analysis and visualization scripts in R for manuscripts, posters, and presentations.

Organic Chemistry Laboratory Intern

Vassar College
Department of Chemistry
Poughkeepsie, NY

August 2017 - December 2018

  • Assisted teaching students about laboratory safety, procedures, and policy.
  • Led a weekly laboratory and demonstrated experimental procedures.

Psychological Statistics Student Intern

Vassar College
Department of Psychology
Poughkeepsie, NY

August 2017 - May 2018

  • Taught and displayed various statistical demonstrations in R, SPSS, and JASP.

Invited Lectures

R package risk assessment: Balancing programmatic and human inputs. (March 2025). PHUSE US Connect 2025: The Clinical Data Science Conference.

Brain tissue iron neurophysiology and its relationship with cognitive effects of methylphenidate-related dopaminergic modulation in children with ADHD. (April 2023). Translational Medicine Symposium.

Functional Neuroimaging in Research at UNC-CH. (November 2022). Maximizing Exposure to Biomedical Research Preview Day.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Tools for Neuroscience Research. (October 2022). Carolina Neuroscience Organization.

Certifications and Professional Trainings

General Privacy & Informational Security, HIPAA Training

Human Research Involving Data and Specimens, Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative

Good Clinical Practice for Clinical Trials with Investigational Drugs, Biologics, and Devices, Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative

Social and Behavioral Research Best Practices for Clinical Research, Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative







Website design based on: Drew Dimmery. 2022. “Quarto for an Academic Website.” May 11, 2022. https://ddimmery.com/posts/quarto-website.