Currently researching sex differences in juvenile, developmental, and reproductive toxicology. Recent graduate of Harvard College with a B.A. in Statistics and minor in Global Health/Health Policy.
Passionate about gynecology research, including the study of genitourinary tract infections, pregnancy complications, and cancer, as well as family, gender, and sexuality law, specifically legal frameworks and advocacy for trans and reproductive rights.
Selected coursework in:
Statistics
Global health/health policy
Queer, feminist, and trans studies
Investigating sex-specific responses to thirdhand exposure to e-cigarette aerosols in neonatal mice through functional and multi-omic analysis of the respiratory environment and gut-lung microbiome axis.
Key endpoints include serum cotinine, tissue morphology, broncho-alveolar lavage (BAL) histology, lung function (plethysmography, precision cut lung slices), gene expression (qRT-PCR), protein expression (immunohistochemistry, Western blot), and functional gene networks (DAVID, IPA).
Conduct 16S rRNA metataxonomic analysis of lung and intestinal microbiomes in Bash (FastQC, Trimgalore, QIIME2, DADA2, SILVA) and R (phyloseq) and write documentation for pipeline.
Studying in vitro respiratory cytotoxicity of environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs) in weathered and heavy metal complexed micro- and nanoplastics using an air-liquid interface, human broncho-epithelial cell model.
Perform assays for transepithelial electrical resistance, reactive oxygen species, nitrous oxide and lactate dehydrogenase in media, gene expression; and analyze functional gene networks.
First author manuscript, in preparation:
Zaman, A., Cook, T., Yilmaz, S., Schexnayder, M., Perveen, Z., Penn, A. L., Noël, A. Sex-specific modulation of lung physiology and transcriptome in mice exposed neonatally to thirdhand electronic-cigarette aerosols.
Honors:
Investigated phage predation and intraspecies microbial diversity in bacterial vaginosis.
Conducted metagenomic analysis of the vaginal microbiome, using R (phyloseq) and Bash (FastQC, Trimmomatic, Kraken2, MetaPhlAn, HUMAnN, CoNet, EggNOG-mapper).
Research funded by Radcliffe Research Partnership program.
Developed ultrasensitive detection method for Parkinson’s Disease (PD) biomarkers in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) for early diagnosis of PD.
Isolated EVs from biofluids using size-exclusion chromatography and detection of EV-specific transmembrane protein CD63 and marker Alix. Developed single-molecule assay (Simoa) detection of internal biomarker alpha-synuclein (SNCA) inside EVs and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) at the single-protein, femtomolar level.
Validated process and quantified lower limit of detection using cohort of healthy and sick patients.
Research funded by Harvard College Research Program.
Conducted meta-analysis of 500+ infrared neural stimulation papers using mixed-methods social network analysis.
First author of white paper on directed energy technology deployment strategies, presented to senior leadership.
Developed and implemented asthmatic mouse models for toxicogenomics research using house dust mite.
Performed necropsies and collection of blood, BAL fluid, lung tissue.
Mentored visiting high school student in introductory molecular biology research, including tissue culture, qRT-PCR, and statistical analysis in SPSS.
Co-authored paper:
Noël, A., Hansen, S., Zaman, A., Perveen, Z., Pinkston, R., Hossain, E., Xiao, R., & Penn, A. (2020). In
utero exposures to electronic-cigarette aerosols impair the Wnt signaling during mouse lung development.
American Journal of Physiology-Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology, 318(4), L705–L722.
doi.org/10.1152/ajplung.00408.2019.
Developed CRISPR/Cas13 based SHERLOCKv3 assay for Ebola, Zika, and Dengue viruses.
Created computational pipeline in Python for identifying optimal guide RNAs, incorporating basic motif analysis, RNA structure prediction, and initial off-target assessments.
Honors:
View manuscript and poster.
Investigated toxicity of electronic cigarette aerosol on human broncho-epithelial cells, with a focus on detoxification pathways such as biotransformation, oxidation, inflammation, and cancer progression.
Investigated the impact of e-cigarette aerosol exposure on reproductive outcomes and neonatal lung development in mice.
Performed necropsies and collection of blood, BAL and seminal fluid, lung tissue.
Performed assays for serum cotinine, tissue morphology, BAL histology, gene expression (qRT-PCR), protein expression (western blot), and functional gene networks (IPA).
Prepared figures for publication.
Co-authored abstract for 2018 American Thoracic Society International Conference in San Diego, CA:
Noel, A., Hansen, S., Spataro, K. B., Zaman, A., Perveen, Z., Leisinger, C. A., ... & Penn, A. L. (2018).
Electronic cigarette exposures before and during embryogenesis impair lung development in mice. In C16.
Cigarette, E-Cigarette, and Marijuana Smoking: Human and Mouse Studies (pp. A4455-A4455). American
Thoracic Society International Conference. atsjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1164/ajrccm-conference.2018.197.1_MeetingAbstracts.A4455.
Honors:
Investigated cytotoxicity of regionally consumed Asian drug products such as betel quid and hookah.
Presented poster at 2016 Society of Toxicology International Conference (New Orleans).
Honors:
Will teach English at 7 schools across Tokyo, Osaka, and Fukuoka, focusing on language skills for cross-cultural engagement in Summer 2025.
Developing workshop on Bengali and Japanese approaches to climate resilience and post-disaster response and Japanese solidarity infrastructure projects in Bangladesh.
Led weekly discussion section of 20 students, hosted weekly office hours and one-on-one tutoring, and graded assessments for class with total enrollment of 225 students.
Taught course materials, including data exploration, cleaning, and modeling, sampling techniques, causal inference, data ethics, and analysis in R.
Developed curricula for two courses introducing middle and high school students to pre-medicine topics.
Created course materials, designed presentations, and prepared daily lesson plans used by 9 instructors for sessions over five consecutive days, totaling 30 hours of instruction.
Taught 50+ students across six week long sessions, achieving the highest ratings of all instructors in official student evaluations (rated “Excellent” overall by 94% of students).
Teaching material included molecular biology, organic chemistry, immunology, and public health.
Co-organized two-day, virtual conference on South-South market commitments for vaccines and therapeutics innovation (May 2021).
Managed logistics, including identifying and inviting speakers, organizing talks by theme, reviewing presentations, overseeing day-of technical support, and moderating panel sessions.
Wrote post-conference summary report, documenting presentations and discussions, collective insights of participants, and actionable steps for policy and research to improve market self-sufficiency in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
Advised 150+ first-year students, first-generation and/or low-income students, and students with historically excluded identities in finding research opportunities and resources through one-on-one mentoring, weekly office hours, public events, and programming.
Directing archival research project on the intellectual and cultural history of do-it-yourself hormone replacement therapy (DIY HRT) as a cultural practice and ethos.
Reviewing 300+ zines from major online transgender history archives (Digital Transgender Archive, Queer Zine Archive Project, TransReads).
Developing a comprehensive digital archive to preserve technical resources, safety guidelines, and academic insights on DIY HRT, ensuring accessibility for trans communities navigating healthcare barriers.
Planned and hosted 28 events with 1000+ attendees for annual Harvard Sex Week (Oct 2023) and Sex Weekend (Mar 2024), including workshops, lectures, and discussions on sex, sexual and reproductive health, gender, sexuality, and relationships.
Raised $100K in donations of safer sex supplies and intimate devices for distribution at events.
Received 2024 Student Organization of the Year Award from Harvard Dean of Students Office.
Analyzed effects of migration and globalization on tech from “rest of world” (i.e. outside of the US and Western Europe) as part of highly selective, 42-person cohort.
Independent research focused on gender identity formation through digital and new media, focusing on X (formerly Twitter) and its
relationship to Silicon Valley transhumanist movements.
Developed data-driven recommendations on policies, pricing, and administrative functions of student health insurance; advocated for increasing scope and accessibility of university health services.
Conducted weekly strategy meetings with internal members, community stakeholders, and nonprofit organizations. Developed relationships with community partners for new initiatives. Managed social media.
Co-facilitated and contributed to eight committees on socioeconomic justice, academic, and arts initiatives, including Women of Harvard-Radcliffe archival research, International Affairs scholarly lecture series, Queer Asians programming, Anti-Deportations and Anti-Caste organizing, and Ethnic Studies activism.
Created initiatives on menstrual equity, pandemic-era student life, and financial assistance for first-generation and/or low-income students.
Critically engaged incoming first-year students with the use of technology as a means of surveillance and
racial injustice.
Mentored two students from ideation to publication in the YX Foundation Journal:
Managed 60-student, 7-team research project conducting early-pandemic ethnographies of non-healthcare essential workers.
Awarded Lemann Program on Creativity and Entrepreneurship Venture Support Grant.