We are excited to announce that Kevin Tao, a graduate from our Coulter BME program and long-time member of the Laboratory for Synthetic Immunity, has joined our lab as Research Specialist. Check out the short interview below to learn more about Kevin’s research experience and diverse interests.
What is your training/research background?
I have had a strong focus in immunoengineering in my research background. I previously trained under Dr. Gabe Kwong at Georgia Tech in his Laboratory for Synthetic Immunity for four years. I have worked on a diverse set of projects including optimizing and developing new cell sorting techniques, creating diagnostic technologies for proteins and the recent coronavirus using CRISPR Cas12a, and developing a CAR T cell platform to cut down the current cost of CAR T cell manufacturing. Additionally, I have trained in public health research under Dr. Karen Hoover at the CDC and chemical research in Dr. Binghe Wang’s medicinal chemistry lab at Georgia State University. I hope to continue utilizing all these experiences and skills to further develop biomedical systems.
Why did you choose to join the Quiroz Lab at GT/Emory BME?
Throughout my research experiences, I have enjoyed the process of developing novel biomedical systems through manipulating biological mechanisms. When I learned about the Quiroz lab, I saw similar interests and wanted to learn more about how they incorporated protein engineering and self-assembling proteins into engineered biological systems. I thought this would be a great opportunity to expand my knowledge and gain a different skill set that can be used in multiple contexts. I hope to apply this knowledge into multiple projects throughout my career.
When you are not doing research, what do you like to do?
When I am not doing research, I enjoy doing activities such as working out, playing sports, watching TV, and trying new restaurants. Recently, I have been playing a lot of basketball, tennis, and volleyball. Additionally, I like trying to cook new recipes from different cultures or try cuisine at restaurants I have not been to before.
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Kevin Tao, B.S. Research Specialist Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology |