Emily Lien
M1-P1
Professional Background
I was born and raised in San Jose, California and graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2022 with a Bachelor’s degree Biology. In college, I was a research assistant at the Koegel Autism Center, conducting behavioral analysis studies on teens and adults with autism. Towards the end of my undergraduate studies and after graduation, I worked as a research intern for the Yu Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital. My role was to design and test antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) as a therapeutic for children with rare diseases, primarily studying SSADHD and NGLY-1 deficiency. I then moved back home to California and worked at the Stanford Neuromuscular Division in the Day Lab as a clinical research coordinator, conducting clinical trials for children and adults with neuromuscular diseases such as SMA, ALS, and DMD.
My research interests lie in the intersection between genetics, disease pathology, and therapeutic development. I am overjoyed to be continuing my research and educational endeavors as a KU Medical Center student in the MSTP program and look forward to spending the next eight years in Kansas City. Outside of school, I love watching true crime documentaries, crafting, and hunting for food/coffee spots.