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.

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.

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.