Research Assistant

Emma graduated from UC Berkeley, where she double majored in Molecular and Cell Biology and Data Science. She is broadly interested in applying genomic tools to study neurological disorders. Previously, she worked in Barbara Meyer’s lab, where she used genomic tools to identify key genes involved in sex determination in C. elegans, and in Yang Dan’s lab where she studied how sleep deprivation affects neurotransmitter synthesis in catecholaminergic neurons. Outside the lab, Emma is also passionate about scientific writing, check out some of her essays here.

LSRP

Owen earned his A.B. in Philosophy and Physics from Harvard in 2022. As an undergraduate, he developed computational pipelines to simulate galactic dynamics with Dr. João Alves at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. After graduation, he entered biomedicine by joining Dr. Nadia Alatrakchi’s lab at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, where his bioinformatic analysis of single-cell sequencing data in fatty liver disease was published in Nature Immunology (2025). Outside of work, he reflects on the proverbial good life and prioritizes extra-professional study, piano practice, and wellness through meditation, exercise, and vegan home cooking.

Master Student in Biomedical Data Science

Chumo earned his bachelor's degree in Molecular and Cell Biology from UC San Diego. Previously, he worked at Dr. Bing Ren's lab, where he used single-cell multiomics to study neurodegenerative diseases and aging. After graduation, he joined Dr. Joseph Ecker's lab at Salk Institute, where he generated multiomic datasets for BICAN.

Ph.D. Candidate in Biophysics

Eduardo received his bachelor degree in Chemistry from the University of Puerto Rico–Mayagüez. His passion for neurobiology began as an AMGEN Scholar at UC Berkeley where, as part of Dr. Kumar’s lab, he studied the biophysics of neurofilament aggregation in disease states. Later, as a REACH Scholar at Stanford and in Dr. Zuchero’s lab, he studied myelin formation and compaction by combining exocytosis and calcium imaging. Outside the lab, Eduardo enjoys playing basketball and softball, and exploring new restaurants around the Bay Area.

Ph.D. Candidate in Molecular Cellular Physiology

Margarita is a collaborative PhD student from Tom Sudhof's lab at Stanford. Born in Eastern Europe, her path into science has taken many unexpected turns, both geographically and intellectually.  She earned her MSc in Neurobiology from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). She is interested in uncovering mechanisms by which experience-driven neuronal activity promotes refinement of neural circuits. Prior to starting her PhD, her research spanned a diverse range of fields: from tissue engineering and regenerative medicine to uncovering molecular mechanisms that guide synapse formation and stabilization. Outside the lab, she enjoys good company, a ride down the mountain slopes, and mentoring the next generation of scientists.

Postdoctoral Fellow

Calvin received his Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from Carnegie Mellon University, where he worked with Dr. Andreas Pfenning at the intersection of epigenomics, high-throughput screening, machine learning, and neuroscience. His doctoral work revealed context-dependent regulatory variants in Alzheimer’s disease. Previously, Calvin earned his M.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Columbia University, where his work in Dr. Xuebing Wu’s lab uncovered mechanisms underlying noncoding translation mitigation. He also received his B.Sc. with First Class Honors in Biochemistry from the University of Liverpool in the UK. Calvin is interested in uncovering the molecular causes of neurodegeneration and designing therapeutic strategies through high-throughput, experiment-informed generative AI approaches.

Postdoctoral Fellow

Ya earned her Ph.D. in genetics and molecular biology from Cornell University. She is broadly interested in how transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms shape cellular function. Her previous work in Andrew Grimson’s lab identified transcriptional and epigenetic signatures that distinguish human adult and neonatal CD8⁺ T cells. There, she also contributed to the identification of microRNA target genes using PRO-seq and RNA-seq. Her goal is to better understand how these gene regulatory processes support neural plasticity and cognition.

Postdoctoral Fellow

Yue is a collaborative postdoc from Kang Shen’s Lab at Stanford. She is broadly interested in ageing and neurodegeneration. Yue earned her Ph.D. in Biology from UC San Diego, where she trained in C. elegans genetics and neurobiology in Yishi Jin’s lab. There, she uncovered novel mechanisms regulating the stress-responsive DLK signaling pathway at the sensory endings of the nervous system. Outside the lab, she enjoys photography, visiting art museums, and playing badminton.

Lab mascot

Hello! My name is Edith, and I was born in Sonoma, California, in June 2025. I am the mascot of the Fang Lab. My primary role is to provide emotional support, and bring smiles to lab members. I like apples, socks and making friends with humans of all ages.

Role: Lab Manager
Period: 2025-2025
Last Seen: N/A

Role: Summer Intern
Period: 2025-2025
Last Seen: Undergraduate at Stanford University

Role: Summer Intern
Period: 2025-2025
Last Seen: Undergraduate at Harvard University

Role: Undergraduate
Period: 2025-2025
Last Seen: Undergraduate at Stanford University