Tien Nguyen is a research associate in the Sabeti Lab developing novel CRISPR-diagnostics for viral diseases such as Zika, Dengue Fever, Influenza, and more. He utilizes the well-founded principles of SHERLOCK, and applies them in new systems in the hopes of designing an even more cost-efficient and effective technology to enable quick and precise diagnosis of viral diseases.
Tien graduated from Worcester Polytechnic Institute with a B.S. in Biology and Biotechnology in May 2019. As an undergraduate, he spent two years working in Dr. Scarlet Shell’s laboratory studying post-transcriptional effects on mRNA half-lives in Mycobacterium smegmatis, the model organism of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. There, he developed a passion for infectious diseases and hopes to pursue a career where he can continue investigating these pathogens. Outside of the lab, Tien enjoys both indoor and outdoor rock climbing, as well as spending hours in the kitchen trying different recipes in his cast-iron skillet.