Here I’ve listed the projects I have worked on as well as my internship experience, in (mostly) chronological order. If you have a question about anything or simply want to know more about something in particular, just reach out!
Research
Jun 2022 – Aug 2023
Vanderbilt University / Department of Cell and Developmental Biology
Macara Lab Researcher
I joined the Macara Lab the summer before my senior year in HS and worked there until the day I left for MIT. Thanks to my amazing PI, Ian Macara, and Graduate student mentor, Christian de Caestecker, I was able to study changes in E-Cadherin localization during early Ras transformation of epithelia. Beyond that, my work helped me gain recognition as a 2023 Regeneron STS Finalist, an honor given to the top 40 high school senior researchers in the country each year and includes over $27,000 in scholarship with a fully funded trip to D.C. For more information on my project, see here.
Research
Oct 2023 –
May 2024
Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard / Department of Biological Engineering
Bryson Lab Researcher
After beginning my freshman year at MIT, I quickly joined the Bryson Lab at the Ragon Institute where our focus was on better understanding how Mycobacterium tuberculosis interacted with the human immune system. My two projects included:
- Researching sortagging as a way to label interactions between infected macrophages and T-cells
- Using ERK and JNK kinase translocation reporters (KTRs) to visualize by live cell confocal microscopy the intracellular reactions that occur in macrophages during the bacterial infection process.
Nonprofit
Apr 2023 – Current
The Youth STEM Connection / Research Outreach Organization
Co-founder
I started The Youth STEM Connection with my co-founder, Miah Margiano, in hopes of creating resources that high school students from non-traditional research backgrounds could use to kickstart their research careers. Coming from a relatively rural area in TN where high schoolers in the lab was a foreign idea, I know what the challenges of not having a formal program or other connections to research facilities can look like. Our nonprofit is 501(c)(3) incorporated with the IRS, is registered in the state of Arizona, and is a recipient of the Google Ad Grant.
Internship
IAP (Jan) 2024
JURA Bio / Boston, MA
Business Development Intern
Every January, MIT students have the month off to explore academics, personal interests, or simply relax. I was fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to work at JURA Bio with the co-founders as a BD intern. During my time there, I was responsible for helping conduct real estate landscape analysis for the potential acquisition of a new lab space. I also created due diligence reports on other biotechs of interest to our executives and presented them to the C-suite and the board of directors. Overall, I got a short but insightful experience into how startup biotechs think and operate.
Internship
June 2024 – Aug 2024
Novonesis / Lyngby, Denmark
Diversity & Prototyping Intern
My freshman summer I interned at Novonesis, a Novo Holdings company, in the D&P department. Broadly speaking, the department is responsible for molecular discovery, enzyme engineering, and creating biosolutions that could be used for commercial applications. I specifically worked on two projects involving Lipases, but ultimately for different clients that needed different downstream applications of the enzyme.
Beyond my scientific responsibilities, I had the opportunity to connect with and learn from colleagues in the strategy, business development, and outreach departments. This was my first experience working at a biotech giant, and it was fascinating to see how a company the size of a small city operated efficiently while maintaining a great work environment.
Jason C. Wang 