Leadership

Shenjian is in the Immunology program and a member of Dr. Robyn Klein’s laboratory. She is currently investigating resident memory T cells in the brain after West Nile virus infection. She enjoys biking, body building and exploring local cuisine.

Allie is a Neuroscience student studying the interaction of microbes and the brain in Dr. Jeffrey Gordon’s lab. Allie has developed many hobbies in quarantine including: buying numerous plants and trying not to kill them, learning to speak dog, and poorly attempting to bake desserts inspired by the Great British Bake Off. She also enjoys knitting and pottery.

Lucia is the former SAC Co-Director and a MCB student studying neurodegenerative disease. She has taught her cat, Jiji, to sit, high-five, fist bump, and shake. In her free time, she fosters cats and kittens for the APA of Missouri (instagram: @kittenfosterstl).

Emily is in the Molecular Cell Biology program and is a member of Dr. Roberta Faccio’s laboratory. Her work focuses on understanding how bone derived factors work to modulate immune responses during tumor development and how tumors can induce changes inthe hematopoietic stem cell niche. Emily enjoys spending time with her new golden retriever Bonnie and likes to cook and try new recipes.

Aidan is a second-year graduate student in the Plant and Microbial Biosciences program. He studies the evolution of intrinsically disordered protein regions in the lab of Alex Holehouse. Aidan likes to garden, cook Cajun food, jog, and play ultimate frisbee!

Sarah is SAC Co-Director and a Molecular Cell Biology student in the lab of Joe Dougherty studying the regulation of RNA localization and local translation in astrocytes. The majority of her time outside of lab is spent appeasing her two dogs, Lily and Maragold. 

Jeongmin is a 5^th-year graduate student in a Molecular Genetics and Genomics program. She studies type 1 Diabetes and brown adipose tissue in the laboratory of Dr. David Piston in the department of Cell Biology and Physiology. Outside the lab, she’s a full-time cat mom of two fluffy cats. She loves to cook, bake, and run around Forest Park in her free time.

Tessa is a Molecular Cell Biology student studying the role of mitochondrial phosphorylation on skeletal and cardiac muscle postnatal development in the lab of Dr. Natalie Niemi. Outside of the lab, Tessa likes to explore St. Louis coffee shops, attend country concerts, hike, cook, and bake (especially for my lab mates!). As a H&W co-chair, I am excited to continue talking about mental health and overall well-being in academia, and work toward creating a more supportive and inclusive academia.

Bella is a Molecular Cell Biology student studying paracrine signaling in pancreatic islet cells in the lab of Dr. Jing Hughes. She has developed an obsession with houseplants and enjoys playing tennis, working out, and trying new restaurants in her free time.

Marwa is our former SAC Co-Director and is a Neuroscience student. She is studying the effects of opioid withdrawal on behavior and the immune system. As an international student from Lebanon, Marwa is passionate about international student issues. Her top priority as our co-director was to introduce lasting changes that improve the DBBS student experience. She enjoys mountain biking, hiking, and anything outdoorsy.  

Ed Sanchez-Castro is a Peruvian PhD student in the Developmental, Regenerative and Stem Cell Biology program. He is interested in developing therapies to cure diseases such as type 1 diabetes but also to spread them. He has a master in health policies and is engaged to improve the experience of the graduate students in WashU. In his free time, he enjoys classical music concerts and watching anime series

Din is a SAC Co-Director and is also in the Neuroscience program studying molecular and genetic sex-differences in autism spectrum disorders in Joe Dougherty’s lab. Along with being an international student (Canadian, eh?), Din loves to read, write, swim, and cook for his friends!

Elizabeth is a first-year student in the Human and Statistical Genetics PhD program. She is highly interested in using animal models and cell lines as well as bioinformatics and mathematical models to answer complex questions related to human health. During her free time, she enjoys playing the guitar, reading, doing yoga, and going out with her friends.

Lite is in the Neuroscience program and a member of Dr. Rob Gereaulab in the Department of Anesthesiology. He is still in the exploratory phase in his thesis research (as of March 2022) and is broadly interested in understanding the CNS cellular and circuit mechanisms underlying chronic pain.

Jiwon is a Neuroscience PhD student in the lab of Dr. Robert Gereau. She studies how endocannabinoid signaling modulates the neural circuits underlying pain and nociception.

Mini is in the Developmental, Regenerative and Stem Cell Biology program and a member of the Yoo lab studying epigenetic dynamics during direct neural conversion. Whenever physically and mentally able, she may be found in the rock climbing gym. Her favorite thing of the day is always watching the sunset with her derpy cat, Nico.

Cyrus Zhou is currently a fourth year graduate student in the Molecular Genetics and Genomics program, under the DBBS umbrella program. He is originally from New York City and has lived in Baltimore and Vancouver before moving to St. Louis. He is excited to be part of SAC in 2022-2023 and looks forward to working collaboratively with the SAC board. In his free time, he enjoys reading historical fiction, playing trivia, and playing with his three rabbits (DeeDee, Ari, and Stu).