Meet the Lab

The UCI Translational Neuroscience Laboratory Team

April 2023


Research Staff

Yuritza Escalante
Research Coordinator

Alyssa Harris
Research Coordinator

Liv McMillan
Chief of Operations

Mithra Sathishkumar
Neuroimaging Analyst

Lisa Taylor
Neuroimaging Analyst

Derek Taylor
Director of Scientific Computing

Novelle Meza
Research Coordinator

Nandita Tuteja
Research Coordinator

Postdoctoral Scholars and Research Scientists

Jenna Adams, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Scholar

Caroline Chwiesko, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Scholar

Soyun Kim, Ph.D.
Project Scientist

Yuguang (Irene) Zhao, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Researcher

Dale Zhou, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Researcher

Graduate Students

Destiny Berisha
Graduate Student

Abbey Houchin
Graduate Student

Bianca Leonard
MSTP Student

Gimarie Irizarry Martínez 
Graduate Student

Dana Parker
Graduate Student

Nazek Queder
Graduate Student

Batool Rizvi
Graduate Student

Raymond Dionicio Villareal
Graduate Student

Undergraduate Students and Research Assistants

Suhina Chand

Jessica Ha

Patrick Haghnazarian

Deja Lee

Julie Loritsch

Marielena Mendoza

Joshua Nguyen

Abner Portillo

Rushika Weerackoon

Visiting Faculty

Adele Gilpin, Ph.D.
Visiting Professor

Marco Peters, Ph.D.
Visiting Professor

Paul Rapp, Ph.D.
Visiting Professor

Jerod Rasmussen, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor

Nick Tustison, Ph.D.
Visiting Professor

Grad/Postdoc Alumni

Kyeongho Byun, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Incheon National University, Seoul

Luis Colon-Perez, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, University of North Texas Health

Miranda Chappel-Farley, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Pittsburgh

Natalie DiProspero, Ph.D.

Sandra Gattas, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow and MSTP MS3 Scholar, UCI Health

Steven Granger, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, McLean Hospital, Harvard University

Sarah Kark, Ph.D.
Senior Digital Neuroscientist, AiCure

Stephanie Leal, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Rice University

Freddie Márquez, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, University of California San Diego

Maria Montchal, Ph.D.
Legislative Aide for CA Assemblymember Alex Lee 25th District

Zachariah Reagh, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Washington University St. Louis

Jared Roberts, M.S.
Jared passed away unexpectedly in 2016 (read more)

Rebecca Stevenson, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, University of California Berkeley

Sarah K. Tighe, M.D.
In private practice, Anchorage, AK

Jessica Yaros, Ph.D.
Research Scientist, Pacific Northwest National Labs

Undergraduate Alumni

Daniel Borota, M.D.
Maria Bangash, B.A.
Allen Chang, Ph.D.
Amanda Chun, B.S.
Michelle Doan, B.S.
Stephanie Doering, B.S.
Corey Fernandez, Ph.D.
Sophia Fleming-Benite, B.A.
Joanna Gamble, B.A.
Thalia Georgiou, B.S.
Navid Ghaffari, B.S.
Mariam Guirguis, B.S.
Nikki Hattamian, B.S.
Martina Hollearn, B.S.
Alisha Jamil, B.A.
Samuel Ji, D.O.
Robert Jirsaraie, B.S.
Vishali Kapoor, B.S.
Krista Kernodle, B.A.
Jennifer Kim, M.D.
Enoch Koo, B.S.
Eli Levitt, B.A.
Maria Ly, M.D., Ph.D.
Blake Miranda, B.A.
Abanoub Mikhail, B.A.
Novelle Meza, B.S.
Saum Naderi, B.S.
Natasha Ng, B.A.
Jessica Noche, M.A.
Jennifer Ocin, B.A.
Ali Ozgur, B.S.
Carlene Partow, B.A.
Vincent Perez, B.S.
Pouyan Pouresfandiari, B.S.
Diana Salama, B.A.
Faissal Sharif, B.S.
Anna Smith, B.S.
Daniel Spira, B.A.
Lea Stith, B.S.
Hung Tran, B.S.
Adam Trigui, B.A.
Matthew Tsai, M.D.
Kaitlin Vick, B.S.
Joseph Watabe, B.A.
Ayobami Ward, M.D.
Rebecca Wilder, B.A.
Amanda Woodward, B.A.

Past Lab Pics

Spring 2023

Summer 2021

Spring 2020

Winter 2019

Winter 2018

UCI Yassa Lab

Winter 2016

YASSALAB_JAN2016

Summer 2015

yassalab_summer2015

Summer 2013

2013_summer_lab_pic