Lab Members

I graduated from Princeton University in 2008 with a major in Molecular Biology and a minor in Computer Science. While at Princeton, I worked under the mentorship of Coleen Murphy, studying C. elegans aging. During the summers I had relatively foundational scientific experiences studying learning and memory (with Cristina Alberini), and epigenetics (with Or Gozani).

After graduation, I spent a year living with family in Spain and teaching science to bilingual elementary schools students. In 2009, I started my Ph.D. in the Cancer Biology program at Stanford University under the mentorship of Ravi Majeti. Together with Max Jan and Thomas Snyder, we provided the first genetic and cellular proof that AML evolves from sequential acquisition of mutations in a hematopoietic stem cell. We went on to identify patterns to this mutational evolution, with mutations in epigenetic modifiers such as DNMT3A or TET2 occurring universally during the early “pre-leukemic” phase of the disease.

These findings led me to pursue postdoctoral training in epigenetics with Howard Chang at Stanford University. With Jason Buenrostro, we applied the assay for transposase-accessible chromatin using sequencing (ATAC-seq) to understand normal hematopoietic differentiation and leukemic transformation. This highlighted the utility of this technology for understanding complex cellular processes and we subsequently applied ATAC-seq to a cohort of 410 different tumor samples spanning 23 cancer types in collaboration with The Cancer Genome Atlas.

At about the half-way point of my postdoctoral work, I switched gears to study the genetic and epigenetic underpinnings of neurodegenerative diseases. Co-mentored by Thomas Montine, I used multi-omic epigenetic approaches to dissect the role of inherited variation in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. This work serves as the launching point of the lab, driving our interest in using the epigenome to better understand neurological disease.

I grew up in Montclair, NJ, and later moved to New England to study computational neuroscience and statistics at Harvard College. As an undergraduate, I worked in the labs of Dr. Jeff Lichtman and Dr. Florian Engert, mapping human and larval zebrafish connectomes to explore the structural principles of brain organization. I then shifted my focus to motor systems neuroscience in the lab of Dr. Bence Ölveczky, using statistical modeling to probe how neurons in the rodent basal ganglia flexibly adapt over time to support learning. After graduating in 2024, I moved to the West Coast to begin my PhD in neuroscience at UCSF. I’m now applying my interests in neuroscience and statistics to questions in neurodegenerative disease and genomics. In the Corces Lab, I plan to leverage single-cell analysis and machine learning to investigate cell type-specific epigenetic mechanisms underlying Alzheimer’s Disease. Outside of the lab, I love climbing mountains, seeing live music, and trying (but occasionally succeeding) to solve NYTimes crosswords.

I grew up in Novato, CA, and moved across the bay to study Molecular and Cell Biology at UC Berkeley. As an undergraduate, I worked in labs studying the origin of flight in nonvolant reptiles and the role of extracellular vesicles in the immune response. After graduating, I joined Dr. Claire Clelland’s lab at UCSF, where I developed and optimized CRISPR-based gene therapies targeting the C9orf72 repeat expansion, the most common genetic cause of FTD/ALS. Through this work, I became interested in functional genomics and neurodegeneration. As a neuroscience PhD student in the Corces Lab, I plan to investigate how genetic variants contribute to Alzheimer’s disease. Outside of the lab, I enjoy watching Bay Area sports, trivia, and spending time with my friends.

I grew up in the Bay Area, then moved to the midwest to study Neuroscience and Psychological & Brain Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. I joined the lab of Yehuda Ben-Shahar and discovered that neuron-specific knockdown of one of the causative genes for Williams Syndrome—a rare developmental condition characterized by hyper-social behaviors—has an evolutionarily conserved effect, altering protein translation and social behavior in Drosophila melanogaster. After graduating in 2019 and continuing in the lab for a year as a technician and lab manager, I joined the Biomedical Sciences Program at UCSF to gain experience with more directly translational neuroscience research. In the Corces Lab, I am studying common noncoding genetic variants associated with Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s Disease. I aim to understand the cell type-specific effects of these variants and how they drive susceptibility to disease. Some of my efforts include analyzing single-nucleus ATAC-seq from postmortem human brain samples, conducting functional genomics assays such as MPRA and CRISPRi in vitro, and generating CRISPR-edited hiPSC-derived models of brain cell types to validate our high-throughput results. Outside of the lab, I can be found taking long walks with an iced coffee, hiking through beautiful Californian landscapes, or working on my crochet small business.

I grew up in Pittsburgh, PA, and stayed in-state to study Cellular & Molecular Neuroscience at Temple University in Philadelphia. During my time as an undergraduate, I worked under the mentorship of Dr. Susan Patterson to characterize microglial responses to immune challenge in aged animals. I later joined Dr. Shin Kang’s lab for my senior thesis work, investigating adult oligodendrogenesis in the mouse hippocampus. After graduating in 2021, I worked as a research assistant in the lab of Dr. Ethan Goldberg at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia/University of Pennsylvania. Here, I used stem cell models to study neurodevelopmental diseases (and learned why neuroscientists also like neurons!). I moved across the country in 2023 to start my PhD in Neuroscience at UCSF, aiming to combine my background in iPSC systems with new genetic approaches. In the Corces lab, I plan to combine genomic profiling with functional assays to investigate the mechanisms underlying Alzheimer’s disease. Outside of pipetting, I love running far distances, baking tall cakes, and watching the occasional Penguins hockey game.

Growing up in rural Rhode Island, I was raised in the outdoors and turned this into a passion for biology with the help of dedicated early educators. Deciding to make a career out of this, I made the trek to Providence to study Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Brown University. There, I began my journey in research in the lab of Ashley Webb, investigating how the Forkhead Box O family of transcription factors (FOXOs) regulate stem cell homeostasis in the brain. I concurrently examined this functionality under physiological and pathological conditions, focusing the majority of my efforts on investigating a role for FOXOs in the maintenance of cancer stem cell quiescence in the context of high-grade brain cancer. Wanting to continue research on human disease, I switched coasts after graduation to pursue my PhD in the Biomedical Sciences Program at UCSF. Here, as a member of the Corces Lab, I aim to pair multi-omics with organoid and iPSC-based model systems to pinpoint and validate the epigenetic underpinnings driving AD and PD. In particular, I am interested in the interplay between such drivers and their contextual relationships in a cell-type and cell-state specific manner. Outside of lab, you’ll find me working with UCSF’s Science Education Partnership, exploring new ways to consume coffee, or making my way to a beach or a mountain.

Originally from Sacramento California, I studied Biology at the University of California, Irvine. My undergraduate research included developing drug delivery systems using exosomes and self-assembling acid-cleavable nanoparticles. Under the supervision of Professor Autumn Ivy, MD, PhD, I completed my PhD. My research focused on answering the question, “how does exercise in early life improve learning and memory?” My investigation, which leveraged bulk CUT&RUN and RNA sequencing techniques, discovered support for a mechanism of epigenetic priming. Along the way, I developed a novel transgenic mouse line and a novel technique, SIT, for the cell-specific simultaneous isolation of nuclei and RNA from a single homogenate. I am excited to investigate memory at the other end of the life-cycle as part of the Corces Lab. I want to leverage multi-omic and single-cell sequencing techniques and bioinformatics tools to understand how the epigenome and the environment influence neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s and Frontotemporal Dementia. I also enjoy swing dancing, cooking, scootering, art, hiking, video games, board games, and card games.

I grew up in Portland, OR, but moved to the east coast to get my BSc and MSc degrees at George Washington University. I analyzed fMRI data related to human language and tool use for my undergraduate thesis, but a summer fellowship in Dr. Joseph Quinn’s lab at Oregon Health & Science University sparked my interest in studying neurodegeneration and brain aging. For my master’s thesis in Dr. Chet Sherwood’s evolutionary neuroscience lab, I characterized Aβ and tau pathology in mammals with large brains and long lifespans. After graduating, I joined the lab of Dr. Jessica Tollkuhn at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. As a research assistant in the Tollkuhn lab, I utilized a mouse model of menopause to identify gene programs that are sensitive to estrogen decline. Now a Neuroscience PhD student at UCSF, I am co-mentored by Ryan Corces and Dena Dubal. I plan to explore the role of the X chromosome in healthy brain aging and investigate what makes cells that express the maternal or paternal X chromosome epigenetically distinct. Outside of the lab, you can find me trying new cafes and restaurants, watching San Jose Sharks games (usually with my head in my hands), and hiking around the Bay Area.

I grew up in Ann Arbor, MI and moved to the East Coast to pursue my undergraduate degree from Harvard College, concentrating in mathematics. While there, under the mentorship of Dr. Wesley Cain, I studied dynamical systems, specifically in surveying approaches for analyzing delay-induced stability and instability. I also had the opportunity to do clinical cytogenetics research in Dr. Cynthia Morton’s lab where we sought to better understand position effects and balanced chromosomal abnormalities. In 2020, I moved across the country to start in the Medical Scientist Training Program at UCSF. In graduate school, I hope to bring together my background in mathematics with my interest in genetics to use and develop analytical techniques to help better understand how the epigenome influences disease pathology. Outside of the lab, I enjoy trying new foods, going for long walks, and baking.

I was born in Denmark and moved to the U.S. when I was seven, growing up in the Bay Area. I studied Statistics and Molecular & Cell Biology at the University of California, Berkeley. While an undergraduate, I commuted across the bay to work at the UCSF Memory and Aging Center under the mentorship of Lea T. Grinberg, studying neuropathological alterations in atypical clinical variants of Alzheimer’s disease using postmortem human tissue. There, I developed a lasting interest in the factors that influence the clinical progression of neurodegenerative diseases. After graduation, I spent half a year traveling before starting my PhD in the Neuroscience Program at UCSF in 2019. During my PhD, I developed a new clustering method for single-cell data, CHOIR, that uses permutation testing to identify biologically distinct cell types and states. As a postdoc, I am using single-cell data to study the etiology of cognitive decline and neural network dysfunction in Alzheimer’s disease, co-advised by Ryan Corces and Lennart Mucke.

I grew up in the Bay Area and am currently pursuing a degree in Biological Sciences at the University of California, Santa Barbara. At UCSB, I am involved in studying spatial cognition at Professor Hegarty’s Spatial Thinking lab. I’ve previously researched how path-integration and movement imagery ability differs between dancers and non-dancers, studying how dance training affects cognitive measures that are often impaired as a result of movement disorders and neurodegenerative diseases. In the Corces Lab, I continue to explore my interest in neurodegenerative diseases through genomics research. I am developing machine learning enabled bioinformatics tools for high-resolution processing of sequencing data. Outside of the lab and school, I enjoy dancing, spending time with my friends, and reading.

I grew up in Irvine, CA, and moved up north to study molecular and cellular biology (MCB) and data science at the University of California, Berkeley. In my undergrad, I primarily conducted research in the Flanagan lab, investigating the morphological and transcriptomic impacts of ocular hypertension on retinal astrocytes and how these effects are ameliorated by lipoxins. Pivoting to computational research in the Corces Lab, I focus on processing and analyzing multiomic data to answer questions about the effects of genomic variants on neurodegenerative diseases. I enjoy a myriad of various activities in the company of friends (board games, sports, movies) and enjoy experimenting with new cooking recipes.