I am raising funds to accelerate the discovery of new ways to treat and ultimately cure cancer by advancing a deeper, more precise understanding of how cells are organized and how that organization fails in disease. I am a former Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation fellow, now an Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia, where my laboratory integrates chemical biology and artificial intelligence to study biomolecular condensates—dynamic, membrane-less compartments that organize the chemistry of life inside cells. My work focuses on uncovering the rules that govern how proteins and small molecules are distributed within these environments, and how cancer-associated mutations rewire this organization. By understanding cancer at this level of cellular organization, I aim to reveal new therapeutic strategies that go beyond targeting individual genes, and instead address the systems that control their function.

This effort is also deeply personal. As a Damon Runyon fellow, I benefited directly from early-career support that enabled me to pursue high-risk, high-reward ideas at a formative stage of my career. I have also participated in Timmerman Traverses, where I have seen firsthand the power of community-driven fundraising to support the next generation of scientists. Early-career researchers often bring bold, interdisciplinary approaches that challenge established thinking, yet they face significant barriers to funding. By raising funds for Damon Runyon, I hope to help ensure that young scientists have the resources and independence needed to pursue transformative discoveries. Supporting early-career scientists is one of the most effective ways to drive innovation—and a critical step toward achieving meaningful progress against cancer.