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  • Meet the Team
  • Join Us!
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Mackenzie Carter

Staff Research Associate

She/Her/Hers

m4carter (a) ucsd (dʘt) edu

Mackenzie studied neurodevelopment of the hindbrain in Zebrafish while completing her B.S. in Biology from Virginia Commonwealth University. As an IMSD scholar, she studied the effects of external factors such as ethanol on facial branchiomotor neuron migration during the early stages of development. Mackenzie is currently earning her Master’s degree in Applied Data Science, interested in machine learning for neuroscience and genetics. In her free time, Mackenzie enjoys live events, playing video games and discovering San Diego’s best sushi.

Karen Jimenez-Reyes

Staff Research Associate

They/She

kjimenezreyes (a) ucsd (dʘt) edu

Karen is a first-generation graduate from UC Davis and obtained their B.S. in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior in 2021. Just before joining DevCoGx, Karen was an NIH PREP scholar at UC Santa Cruz in Dr. Yi Zuo’s lab looking at microglia in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s Disease. The focus of Karen’s research mission is to elucidate the pathogenic mechanisms behind progressive neurological diseases and is especially interested in the role of neuroinflammation. In their time outside of the lab, Karen likes to get lost outdoors and at any bass music festival on the West Coast.

Khushi Kumra

Undergraduate Researcher

She/Her/Hers

kkumra (a) ucsd (dʘt) edu

Khushi is a second-year undergraduate student at UCSD. She is currently earning her B.S. in Neurobiology with a minor in Global Health. She has previously volunteered in various clinical settings, including Harbor-UCLA and Cedars-Sinai Medical Centers. Khushi is passionate about giving back to the community; she currently volunteers at UCSD Health and is involved with various groups on campus. In her free time, Khushi enjoys a good book, discovering new soundtracks, and exploring San Diego’s cafes. 

Nancy Lin

Undergraduate Researcher

She/Her/Hers

hul009 (a) ucsd (dʘt) edu

Nancy is a fourth-year UCSD student majoring in molecular and cell biology and minoring in chemistry. Her previous research focused on understanding the molecular control of synaptic vesicle cycle in neurotransmission using drosophila as a model organism. Nancy is interested in the general fields of genomics and neurodegenerative diseases. During her free time, she likes to dance and attend music festivals. 

Guha Sundaram

Undergraduate Researcher

he/Him/His

gsundaram (a) ucsd (dʘt) edu

Guha is a second-year undergraduate student in Revelle College at UCSD and is currently majoring in neurobiology. He has previously conducted a personal research project studying the growth and behavior of his pet snail colony. Guha’s main research interest is the general study and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and neurodevelopmental disorders. In his free time, Guha enjoys playing and teaching tennis, observing wildlife, and playing piano for his rock band.

L. Ashley Watson, PhD

Co-Investigator

She/Her/Hers

lawatson (a) ucsd (dʘt) edu

CV | Twitter

Ashley studied biology with a specialization in genetics before completing her PhD at Western University in biochemistry and developmental biology. She completed postdoctoral training in the laboratory of Dr. Li-Huei Tsai at MIT. Prior to joining the Developmental and Cognitive Genomics (DevCoGx) Research Group, Ashley was a senior scientist at STEMCELL Technologies. Her research is motivated by a lack of mechanistic knowledge of the molecular processes underlying brain development and cognition. 


Research interests: chromatin structure, neurogenesis, building better models to study neurological disease

Hiruy Meharena, PhD

Principal Investigator

He/Him/His

hmeharena (a) ucsd (dʘt) edu

Biosketch | Google Scholar | Twitter | Linkedin

Hiruy received his PhD in Biomedical Sciences from UC San Diego (UCSD).  As a National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellow his research focused on understanding the biochemical and biophysical principles governing Protein Kinases to identify novel cancer therapeutics under the mentorship of Dr. Susan Taylor. He then completed his postdoctoral training at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) under the mentorship of Dr. Li-Huei Tsai. As a UNCF/Merck , BWF PDEP, and Alana postdoctoral fellow his research focused on understanding the genetic, molecular and cellular mechanisms governing the neurological deficits observed in individuals with Down syndrome. Currently, Hiruy is an Assistant Professor of Neurobiology and Molecular Biology in the School of Biological Sciences at UC San Diego.

Join Us!

Alumni

Rachel Diao

2022

Biomedical Sciences Rotation Student

Leia Asmerom

2022

High School Summer Intern

Elkan Tesfay

2022

High School Summer Intern

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