Tien's academic journey followed the route of I-80 eastward (and also her interest in using the brain to understand itself, but the I-80 part is funnier), beginning with a BS in Psychology at Colorado State University, progressing to a PhD in Neuroscience at the University of Iowa, and concluding with a Postdoc fellowship at Mt. Sinai. Afterward, Tien's passion for data-focused roles led her to become a data analyst at Kessler Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to research on neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, and stroke. Tien is excited to join PennLINC to focus on expanding resources for the efficient curating and sharing of large-scale imaging data.