Previous Lab Members: Postdocs, staff, rotation students, and undergraduate students
Mahmoud ElAchwah
I’m a Research Assistant with a B.A in Neurobiology from the College of Wooster. My undergraduate research thesis focused on studying the interactions between Tau & Nab2 proteins and their implication on Alzheimer’s brain. Currently, I am working at Dr. Pang’s lab to interrogate the molecular and neurobiological functions of 200 risk genes associated with neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders using human stem cells. Outside of lab I enjoy playing soccer, lifting and cooking.
Tiffany Le
I’m a research assistant with a B.S. in Biology, Health, and Society and double minor in Gender & Health and Social Class & Inequalities from the University of Michigan. I am passionate about providing accessible, affordable, and most importantly, adequate healthcare for families in poverty. Previously, I have worked as a CNA in the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit at Penn Medicine. I love working with children and am striving to minimize barriers to help them pursue their goals. I am excited to start my journey in research and as a scientist at the Pang Lab to better understand neurological disorders and the field of neuroscience. In my free time, I enjoy cooking, baking, and ballroom dancing.
Rohan Savani
I’m an undergrad majoring in Cell Biology and Neuroscience within the School of Arts and Sciences Honors Program. In the lab, I’m excited to help work on behavioral analysis while broadly learning about neurobiology. Outside of this, I enjoy volunteering as an EMT, music, and reading.
Lasya Cheruvu
Hi everyone! I’m Lasya Cheruvu, an undergraduate student at Rutgers University majoring in Genetics with a minor in Data Science. My research interests include using neuronal models, such as iPSC-derived models, to study neurological disorders and how they disrupt cellular activity and neural circuitries, and to ultimately contribute to a better understanding of their molecular and genetic mechanisms to create precise and effective therapies in clinical medicine.
Nidhi Busannagari
Hi! I’m Nidhi Busannagari and I’m in the class of 2026. I’m majoring in Cell Biology and Neuroscience with a minor in Health and Society. I am interested in learning about the regulation of synaptic functions and the mechanisms behind neurological disorders. Outside of the lab, I volunteer at Robert Wood Johnson, am a part of Omega Phi Alpha national service sorority, and I enjoy dancing and reading.
Fang Luo
Graduate Student, Neuroscience
Xiao su
Autism Science Foundation Predoctoral Fellow
Graduate Student, Molecular Biosciences PhD program
Le Wang
Postdoctoral Fellow; PhD, Central South University of China
Hi this is Le, I’m a big fan of William Somerset Maugham and Marvel Cinematic Universe. My research interests are in basic mechanism(s) of synaptic regulation in the mammalian brain and altered synaptic function associated with neuropsychiatric disorders.
Sneha Kapadia
I am a clinician with some background in translational Neuroscience. My research interests involve using in vitro models to better understand neurological disorders to build counteractive mechanisms for reversing disease physiology. At the Pang lab, I aim to diversify my scientific skills and grow as a scientist
Denise Robles
NIH T32 Biotechnology training fellow
I am a Ph.D. student in Biomedical Engineering working with Drs. Pang and Jeffrey Zahn on a collaborative effort. Throughout my research career, my enthusiasm has been in the development of miniaturized technologies that closely model neurological systems and disorders. I previously graduated from the City College of New York with a bachelor’s degree with honors in Biomedical Engineering.
Natalie Fung
Hi! I’m Natalie! I am a second year undergraduate student at the University of Toronto majoring in neuroscience and immunology. At the Pang Lab, I am excited to help study the underlying molecular mechanisms of neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders utilizing iPSC-derived neuronal models. In my free time, I love volunteering as an EMT, bouldering, and hiking.
Yi lu
Postdoctoral Fellow
Jeremy Perrelle
Medical Student, RWJMS
I’m Jeremy Perrelle, a medical student at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Originally from upstate New York, I have a passion for engineering, materials science, and working to solve clinical problems involving nerve regeneration.
Lorraine Clark
Hi! I am a Cell Biology and Neuroscience major with a minor in Health and Society in the Rutgers University Honor’s College class of 2024. In the Pang lab I am learning the process of molecular cloning. Outside of school I am the second lieutenant for a volunteer ambulance squad, Boonton EMS, and I enjoy skiing.
Enkhjin Bat-Erdene, MD, MSc
Jasmine Gamboa
Medical Student, RWJMS
I’m a medical student with a B.A. in Neuroscience from Amherst College. Before medical school, I conducted research on traumatic brain injury (TBI) and investigated the mechanisms responsible for restoring cognitive and motor skills following secondary blast TBI. I’m passionate about investigating the pathways of neural degeneration and regrowth, and motivated by the prospect of improving health outcomes for those affected by nervous system disorders.
Emily Labour
As a rising senior at Syracuse University studying Bioengineering, I have conducted research in a university biomaterials lab studying anti-microbial shape memory polymers. Most recently, I’m participating in research related to optogenetic control of bacterial persistence. Working as a visiting student in the Pang Lab has given me a unique opportunity to gain experience working with mammalian cell cultures and imaging techniques.
Yara Abbo
Hi! I graduated from Rutgers University in May 2022 with a degree in Cell Biology and Neuroscience with a minor in Comparative Literature. I have worked at the Pang Lab since 2019 as an undergraduate research assistant and continued as a temporary research assistant during my gap year. My project involved studying the effects of ethanol exposure on glial activation and neuroinflammation using induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived models.
Alessandro Stillitano
Hello everyone! My name is Alessandro Stillitano and worked as a temporary research assistant. I graduated from University of Vermont with a degree in neuroscience with a minor in pharmacology. The project I worked on was looking at immunoregulatory and neuropathological changes of the brain with HIV infection using cerebral organoids as a model.
Rafael Gabriel III
Hey everyone! I graduated from UMASS Amherst with a biochemistry degree in 2021. There, I studied KO mutations in iN cell lines and developed an interest in neuroscience. I worked here as a research assistant, conducting experiments for multimodal profiling of neurons in human cortical organoids using Patch-sequencing.
Vincent Mirabella
Graduate Student, MD/PhD Program, NIH NIMH F30 NRSA Pre-doctoral Fellowship
Daarsh Goradia
My name is Daarsh, and I’m an undergraduate student majoring in Biomedical Engineering. I worked on behavioral analysis at the lab while simultaneously learning about the pathology of neural diseases and neurobiology. Outside of the lab, I enjoy working out and being a medical assistant.
Giovanni Pagano, Research assistant
Yujia tian
My name is Yujia. I came from Beijing. Now I am reading in junior year at Rutgers. My major is Cell Biology and Neuroscience, with a minor in statistics. I am interested in finding out how our brain works and why dysfunction in synaptic transmission leads to mental disorders. In the future, I would like to become a biomedical researcher to combine neuroscience and informatics.
Mitali ShrofF
My name is Mitali. I am an undergraduate in the School of Arts and Science Honors Program at Rutgers University, class of 2024 majoring in Cell Biology and Neuroscience. Outside of school, my interests include volunteering as an EMT, dancing, and being a member of the Rutgers University Student Assembly.
Alaya Gutha
Hi! I’m Alaya Gutha, an undergraduate student at Rutgers University majoring in Cell Biology and Neuroscience with a minor in Education As a Social Science. In the Pang Lab, I am working to learn more about nerve regeneration. Outside of school, I enjoy reading, rock climbing, and keeping my beloved houseplants alive.
Yulia Hapiak
I received my Bachelor’s degree in Cell Biology & Neuroscience and Psychology from Rutgers University in May 2019 and joined the Pang Lab in October 2019. My passion for research began during my undergraduate studies where I pursued neuroscience research at the W.M Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience.
kenneth paradiso, phd
Assistant Professor
Sarah Sajid
I am currently a sophomore studying Cell Biology and Neuroscience at Rutgers University. I am an emergency department medical scribe at Jersey Shore Medical Center as well as an EMT and I ride for my home town, Morganville First Aid and rescue Squad. Aside from academics, my interests include figure skating, music, and I am happy to contribute to the Pang Laboratory!
Ishnoor Singh
Ishnoor graduated with a MS in Biomedical Sciences at the RBHS. He majored in Neurosciences in his undergraduate from India, and his research interest is neurobiology.
Matthew Scarnati, PhD
Rutgers University, NIH NIAAA T32 training fellowship
I received my BS in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry from Stockton College and later pursued my PhD in Neuroscience at Rutgers University. The primary objective of my work in the Pang lab is to employ induced neuronal cell (iN) technology to generate human neurons carrying allelic variants in the MOR to probe the interaction between alcohol and opioid signaling. Elucidation of how this gene variant affects alcohol sensitivity in a human neuronal context will provide novel mechanistic information about the involvement of opioid signaling in AUDs.
Aleena Andrews
I got my Bachelor of Science in Chemistry at The College of New Jersey, where I did research in computational biochemistry. I got my Master of Science in Biochemistry from the University of Maryland while I conducted research in bioanalytical chemistry.
Matteo Bernabucci, PhD
Matteo joined the lab after previous experiences in Canada and US. He has a solid background in slice electrophysiology, combined with a unique experience in the Patch-seq technique, learned in Andreas Tolias’ lab. Before that, Matteo has spent several years studying mouse models of pain and anxiety disorders in the laboratories of Min Zhuo (University of Toronto) and Yu Shin Kim (UTMB, Galveston). He holds a master degree in Biology (Biotechnology) and a PhD in Psychobiology and Psychopharmacology (La Sapienza University in Rome). In Pang’s lab, Matteo focused his research focusing on physiological aspects of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) on the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) and nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS). His home city is Rome, Italy.
Sarah D. Espineli, Rutgers University (Douglas College)
Jay Phansalkar, Rutgers University (Honors College)
Jay Phansalkar is an undergraduate in the Honors College at Rutgers University, class of 2021. He is studying Cell Biology and Neuroscience, as well as Computer Science. Outside of school he is a volunteer EMT, a trumpet player, and a big New York Giants fan. He has been with the lab since June 2018.
Ajay Reddy, MD
Clinical Fellow, Rutgers University-RWJ Medical School
Dina Popova, PhD
University of Helsinki
Marisa Joel, Rutgers University
Nidhi Desai, Rutgers University (Honors College)
Qili Yu, PhD, Rutgers University
Baiijuan Xia, MD, Visiting Research Scholar
Current Position: Associate Professor, Guizhou Medical University
Jingjing Liu, PhD, City University of New York (CUNY), Postdoctoral Fellow (2014-2019)
Current Position: Research Associate, NYU
Ji Liu, PhD
American Heart Association Postdoctoral Fellow, Academic Medical Center (AMC), University of Amsterdam (2013), Rutgers University (2014-2019)
Current Position: Principal Investigator, University of Science and Technology of China
Apoorva Halikere, BA, Graduate Student, PhD Program in Neuroscience, IGERT Fellow, NIH NIAAA F31 NRSA Predoctoral Fellow, Rutgers University( 2014-2018)
Current Position: Associate Medical Director, HealthLogiX
Nicola Francis, PhD, Visiting Researcher (2016-2018), Rutgers University
Current Position: Research Associate, Rutgers University
Karen Hussein, MD, Neonatologist Fellow (2016-2018), Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Current Position: Neonatologist, Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital
Zihui Xu, MS, Research Assistant (2016-2018), Carnegie Mellon University
Current Position: Research assistant, Sen Yet-Sen University, China
Joseph Fantuzzo, Visiting Student (2015-2019), Rutgers University
Current Position: Merck
Isadora Zhang, Undergraduate Student, University of Wisconsin
Heather McGowan, PhD Student 2017, Medical Student at RWJMS
Michel Mikhail, Undergraduate Student, Rutgers University
Trevor Alston, Undergraduate Student, Rutgers University
Jennifer Ling, Undergraduate Student, Rutgers University
Haihua Zheng, RTS IV, Lab Manager, Child Health Institute of NJ
Andres Villegas, Undergraduate Student, Rutgers University
Lidia DeFilippis, PhD, Visiting Scholarly Researcher, University of Milan in Milano, Italy
Abdulraouf Abdulraouf, Internship Student, Rutgers University
Julia Xia, Undergraduate Student in Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Aresty Fellow at Rutgers
Nicola Mlynaryk, Undergraduate Student, Rutgers University, Graduate student, UCSD
Jeffrey D. Zahn, PhD, Visiting Associate Professor, Rutgers Biomedical Engineering, Sabbatical ended in Fall of 2015.
Aula Hamod, Graduate Student, Master Program in Physiology, Rutgers University. Returned home to Iraq in 2015.
Xuefeng Wang, Research Assistant, 2014
Sammy Othman, Aresty Fellow, Undergraduate Student, 2014, Rutgers University
Aziz Karakhanyan, 2014, Harvard Medical School, Neuroscience PhD Program
Yuefei Huang, Postdoc, 2013
Benjamin (Ben) Ethan Mansky, SURP fellow, Undergraduate Student, 2013, Middlebury University. Graduate student at UCSF
Guohui Li, Arizona State University, Graduate Student Neuroscience, PhD Program, 2013
Jessica Lukacs, Undergraduate Student, Rutgers University, University of Virginia Medical School, MD/MB Program, 2013
Pang Lab 