About Me

I'm a Ph.D. Candidate in Chemistry and Biochemistry in the Hud Lab at Georgia Tech. I'm interested in gaming, coding, astrobiology, and the outdoors. I hail from Los Angeles but have a soft spot for the south. I believe that to be challenged in one's beliefs is to truly understand them, and welcome those who would engage me in discussion. I also hope that sharing my thoughts can lead to greater conversation.

My nickname "Tyro" is a shortening of my first and last name, but I've come to learn that as a real word, "tyro" is of neoclassical origin, stemming from an alternate spelling of the latin word "tiro", meaning recruit or learner. In 1610, the iatrochemist Jean Beguin published what has been cited as the first chemistry textbook, the Tyrocinium Chymicum, cementing the shift from alchemy to chemistry in the sciences.

I believe in the Zen Buddhist concept of 初心 (shoshin), or the "beginner's mind", in my approach to learning about any topic. Thus, I strive to cultivate my own Tyrocinium, or place of learning, in all of my efforts.

Research

Proto-Nucleosides
A major interest of mine includes the role that sugars, and specifically ketose sugars, played in prebiotic chemistry. I am investigating the reaction of non-canonical (not Adenine, Guanine, Cytosine, Thymine, or Uracil) nucleobases with various sugars to form proto-nucleosides, or progenitors to the monomers of RNA in life today. My work on this is ongoing, so please check back for updates!

Previous work on this subject is extensive, and my colleague David M. Fialho and I have published a review on the topic: Prebiotic Synthesis of Noncanonical Nucleosides and Nucleotides.

Community

Teaching:
I have served as a Teaching Asssistant for Georgia Tech's CHEM 2211: Quantitative analysis.
I am also working on creating an Undergraduate Certificate in Astrobiology, modeled after the Graduate Certificate in Astrobiology already offered at Georgia Tech, an effort which I hope will improve interdisciplinary learning among students who began with an interest in one or a few of the many fields encompassed by Astrobiology.

Outreach:
As part of the Center for Chemical Evolution, I participated in such events as Buzz on Biotech, the Atlanta Science Festival, and STEAM night at Mableton Elementary School as a volunteer to manage and implement scientific demos for children and the general public.

Blog

Coming soon!