<iframe src="https://3dproteinimaging.com/protein-imager/?projectId=A1gyzuA2R0QEk1iXjRsK&isUserProject=1&gui=transparent&animate=spin" width="100%" height="400"></iframe> ### Hi, I'm David (he/him) ​​I’m an early-career medical professional with over 5 years of experience across laboratory medicine and pharmacy. The clinical lab continues to be rewarding work for me as I prepare for board certification as a [**Medical Laboratory Technician**, MLT(ASCP)](https://www.ascp.org/boc/explore-credentials/view-all-credentials/MLT), building on my certification as a [**Certified Pharmacy Technician** (CPhT)](https://ptcb.org/credentials/certification/certified-pharmacy-technician). > #### My mission is to deploy [cryo-electron microscopy (CryoEM)](https://youtu.be/qc2PbmI5qMw?si=HOvVoLZL2QZKv-PD) to examine the shape, purpose, and how a cell's tools, called ==proteins==, work. > ##### Leveraging this data—while existentially exciting—continues to address disease at the molecular level and informs our understanding of threats to public health.^[Jeyaraj G, Rajendran AK, Sathishkumar KK, Almutairi B, Vadivelu A, Chokkakula S, Xie W. High-resolution protein modeling through Cryo-EM and AI: current trends and future perspectives–a review. Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences. 2025 Oct 23;12:1688455. doi: 10.3389/fmolb.2025.1688455] To best prepare for a career in biological imaging I’m completing my undergraduate degree in [transmission electron microscopy (TEM)](https://microscopy.org/cemt-certification-program) and actively seek shadowing opportunities in central Ohio. Hands-on scoping experience will allow me to specialize in CryoEM, a specialized form of TEM that captures biomolecules in their native state.^[Bharat TA, Scheres SH. Resolving macromolecular structures from electron cryo-tomography data using subtomogram averaging in RELION. Nature protocols. 2016 Nov;11(11):2054-65. doi: 10.1038/nprot.2016.124] Unlike conventional light microscopy, CryoEM flash-freezes cellular environments to preserve their contents at near-atomic resolution. This allows me to reconstruct a storytelling aspect of disease by studying what proteins exacerbate illness by their loss, or gain in function, by [capturing a living snapshot](https://youtu.be/vLo7oqfRa74?si=5SzTqsVFksqfHPrr) that reveals what light-based methods can’t. Below is an example of a CryoEM cross-section of a cell and the structures they contain (mmCIF).^[Westbrook JD, Young JY, Shao C, Feng Z, Guranovic V, Lawson CL, Vallat B, Adams PD, Berrisford JM, Bricogne G, Diederichs K. PDBx/mmCIF ecosystem: foundational semantic tools for structural biology. Journal of molecular biology. 2022 Jun 15;434(11):167599 doi: 10.1016/j.jmb.2022.167599] ![[mn-example-starfile.mp4]] # Life Outside Work & Philosophy Between school and job, you can find me enjoying life with my husband and dog. We love road trips, a hard-to-beat hike, and sharing an evening fire with friends. Lifelong learning through connection, creativity, and meaning-making is enriching and I believe anyone can take to solving problems in the world. Enjoying the slow thinking to understand nature's 'how' has been a lot about consistency, patience, and finding the right people from what I've experienced. In that way my studies remain necessary and positive. Trust this process and be kind to yourself. >  > **From left: my husband, Paul; our mini aussie, Dodger; and I.** Combining art with data has become a deeply satisfying way to decipher our unseeable architecture. I turn to molecular visualization to make complex research data accessible and accurate—representing the natural world as it actually appears at scales invisible to the eye. By creating open-access visualizations, I help advance transparency and reproducibility in the natural sciences.^[Wilkinson MD, Dumontier M, Aalbersberg IJ, Appleton G, Axton M, Baak A, Blomberg N, Boiten JW, da Silva Santos LB, Bourne PE, Bouwman J. The FAIR Guiding Principles for scientific data management and stewardship. Scientific data. 2016 Mar 15;3(1):1-9. doi: 10.1038/sdata.2016.18] Much of my work focuses on protein scaffolding and signaling, essential processes that underlie all cellular life.^[Bustamante C. Molecular machines one molecule at a time. Protein science: a publication of the Protein Society. 2017 Jun 20;26(7):1245. doi: 10.1002/pro.3205] # Latest Projects ## Pharmacy Tech Studies ![[cphticons.png]] I’ve created a [study guide for obtaining CPhT certification in 2026](PTCE%20Aide.md), developed with state-licensed and nationally certified pharmacy technicians (RPhT/CPhT). It is both National Health Career (NHA) **ExCPT** and Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) **PTCE** board exam ready. ## Science Visualization > ![[DJL_Insulin_Hexamer_Crystallization.png]] > **I designed a figure explaining the hallmark of human insulin storage in the presence of zinc and calcium ions to self-associate into hexamers, maximizing packing efficiency inside the cell.^[Ayan E, Engilberge S, Yokoi S, Orlans J, de Sanctis D, Basu S, Rive‐Mathieu E, Kepceoglu A, Mitsutake A, Demirci H. Triple Calcium Binding Stoichiometry in the Monoclinic Crystal Form of Protracted Insulin. Small Structures. 2025 Dec;6(12):e202500398. doi: 10.1002/sstr.202500398]** I make sense of researcher data by visualizing biomolecules in ways that communicate clearly and accurately. Using data from the RCSB Protein Data Bank,^[Berman HM, Burley SK. Protein Data Bank (PDB): Fifty-three years young and having a transformative impact on science and society. Quarterly reviews of biophysics. 2025 Jan;58:e9. doi: 10.1017/S0033583525000034] I identify structural features relevant for educational, translational, and clinical applications. ## Technical Writing ### A Perspective in Protein Biology > ![[5KWO (1).png]] > **Three common protein secondary structures in the wild: disordered regions (white) move freely like wet noodles or hinges; alpha-helices pack as rigid cabin logs or coiled springs to provide scaffolding; beta-sheets feature parallel or antiparallel strands (arrows indicate directionality) that bend and shear like taut fabric or plywood.** I’m writing a manuscript on [Basic Protein Science](Basic%20Protein%20Science.md) for future role as a [**Scientist in Molecular Biology**, MB(ASCP)](https://www.ascp.org/boc/explore-credentials/view-all-credentials/MB). Working in clinical molecular biology means reliably crafting a treatment plan unique to those who need it. ### Top 100 Relevant CryoEM Images > ![[emd_39205.map_zprojection.jpeg]] > **PIEZO receptor for our sense of touch, pressure, and bringing something like a cup to our lips to drink, without looking at it, to instinctively know where our limbs are located relative to our body.** Still a work in progress, I hope to publish a book covering why CryoEM has been the center of my attention when it comes to landing my dream role as a microscopist. You can find it [being edited currently](100%20Images%20of%20CryoEM.md) with the expectation to include no more than 100 different examples. To keep the reading exciting while making sense, I stick to proteins that mediate our perceived senses like sight, hearing, taste, and others that underpin our everyday living like oxygen-fixing in plants, learning and memory in our brains, and more. # Contact - [email protected] - [(614) 604-2565](tel:6146042565) - [LinkedIn](https://linkedin.com/in/lemasterdj) - [Instagram](https://instagram.com/lemasterdj)