Team
Xu Chen
Principal Investigator
Born into an academic family in southeast China, Xu developed a tremendous passion for science and art. She found biology, especially the nervous system, integrates the beauty of both. After graduate school, she decided to pursue a research career in neurodegenerative diseases, in particular, Alzheimer's disease and related dementia (ADRD). She aims to use interdisciplinary approaches to understand the disease from unique perspectives, and to uncover new therapeutic avenues.
Daniel Munoz-Mayorga
Postdoctoral scholar
Daniel obtained his PhD last year from the Institute of Neurobiology of the National Autonomous University of Mexico where he worked on stress-induced tau phosphorylation in different reproductive stages of the female rat. Passionate about neurobiology, he strongly believes in the power of multidisciplinary approaches to understand and answer the most puzzling questions of neurodegenerative diseases. He enjoys reading non-fiction and science books in his free time but is also a big boxing fan and likes to try new foods and craft beers.
John Girardini
Lab Manager, Lab Assistant
John graduated from UCSD in Spring of 2020 with a BS in Physiology and Neuroscience and a minor in Psychology. He plans to attend medical school and become a general surgeon. In his free time, he loves to read science fiction and go on bike rides around San Diego.
Suborno Jati
Visiting postdoctoral scholar
Suborno did his Ph.D work at CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata, India. He received his degree from University of Calcutta, India. Currently, he is a postdoctoral fellow in Biochemistry Department at University of California, San Diego. He likes to read scientific books related to the field and beyond. He is a sports enthusiast and loves to travel and hike in his free time.
Yuhang Nie
BS/BS student
Yuhang is a current BS/MS student at UCSD majoring in molecular and cell Bio. He graduated in August 2022 and is continuing to obtaining his MS degree. In his free time, he enjoys playing soccer and video games.
Jamie Foo
Undergraduate researcher
Jamie is an undergraduate student at UCSD pursuing a B.S. in Public Health with a Concentration in Biostatistics as well as minors in General Biology and Chinese Studies. She plans to attend medical school with a focus on geriatrics. In her free time, she enjoys folding origami, figure skating, and dancing.
Bobby Nhan
BS/MS student
Bobby graduated in the Spring of 2020 with a BS in biochemistry and cell biology from UCSD. He was a former member of Phi Delta Epsilon at UCSD and the UCSD Men’s Club Ice Hockey team. He is a current BS/MS graduate student and is pursuing his goal of attending medical school. He enjoys playing hockey and listening to music in his free time.
Yuren Tao
Undergraduate researcher
Yuren is a second-year undergraduate student majoring in General Biology. She plans to attend a graduate school and become a professor one day. She enjoys reading about archaeology and paleontology in her spare time and loves visiting museums. She cures herself by cooking when she is stressed.
Stacy Liu
Undergraduate researcher
Stacy is an undergraduate student majoring in Ecology, Behavior and Evolution. She plans to pursue BS/MS program and continue to stay in UC San Diego. She also plans to minor in Anthropology. In her free time, she enjoys jogging, watching movies and playing piano.
Gray Meister
Undergraduate researcher
Gray is a fourth year undergraduate BS/MS student majoring in Human Biology with a minor in Cognitive Science. She plans to become a professor with the focus of not only furthering scientific knowledge as a whole, but also increasing the quality and accessibility of science education in high school and college. She enjoys playing video games, petting dogs, and discovering new music to listen to.
Shireen Radvar
Undergraduate researcher
Shireen is a current undergraduate student at UCSD. She will graduate June 2022 with a BS in Global Health and a minor Health Care/Social Issues. She plans to attend medical school and become a dermatologist. She enjoys going to the beach and trying new foods in her free time.