Experience Summary
Originally I am from Albania. I graduated from Molecular Biology and Genetics department of the prestigious Bosphorus University in Istanbul, Turkey. Established in 1863, formerly known as Robert College, it was the first American Educational Institution outside the borders of USA.
Later I worked for two years at the Natural History Museum in London, UK. After that, for one year I was a researcher at the Molecular Systematics laboratory at Integrative Biology Department in Brigham Young University, in Provo, UT. Two years later I completed my master's in Biological Sciences from University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA. Currently I work as a biologist in the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Teaching Style
My teaching philosophy centers around encouraging student learning instead of straightforward lecturing. While training students during these years my approach has reflected the discovery that the process of leading students to the correct answer is more effective than lecturing them the answer. I employ various exercises, continuously look for examples outside the discipline, and generally avoid over-reliance on scientific jargon. For example, I once compared the rise of white blood cells fighting an invading pathogen to the way a governor may activate city guards upon suspecting infiltration by spies – a metaphor that may tap into student knowledge of video game scenarios. One student told me that the comparison was more helpful than pages of detailed description of the mechanism of the pathogen invasion and human response.