​
Chris Lim
Originally from New York City, Chris attended
Phillips Academy Andover and then studied Biochemistry
and Biophysics at Amherst College. In college, Chris
sang in the Glee Club, was in the Pride Alliance, and was
a Diversity Intern in the Admissions Office. In his
undergraduate thesis work in the lab of Anthony Bishop,
Chris used structure-guided mutagenesis to engineer a
chemical handle into an oncogenic phosphatase.
Between college and beginning here at Yale, Chris was a
high school physics teacher at Collegiate School in
Richmond, VA, and in the summer months led hiking trips
in Yellowstone National Park and service trips on Oahu, Hawaii through Overland Adventures.
Chris is a second-year PhD student in Yong Xiong’s lab in the department of Molecular
Biophysics and Biochemistry. He investigates the mechanisms by which HIV is able to evade
host immune defense mechanisms, primarily using X-ray crystallography. Outside of lab, Chris
participates in the Medical Research Scholars Program, is the co-president of the graduate
chapter of ​oSTEM @ Yale, and is a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow. In
his spare time, he enjoys baking bread, running around East Rock, and being overly
caffeinated.
Mac Crite
Initially from Louisville, Kentucky, Mac attended
the University of Kentucky for their undergraduate
degree in Agricultural Biotechnology (heavy on
biotech, light on agriculture). During their tenure at UK,
Mac worked with Wildcat Service Dogs to train
assistance dogs for a variety of purposes. Mac also
participated in OUTsource and the Queer-Straight
Alliance, two groups dedicated to community outreach
and activism in the queer community. In what seemed
like a lapse of judgment at the time, Mac served as an
undergraduate TA for both a biochemistry and an
organic chemistry course, but was eventually
extremely grateful for that opportunity. Mac’s
undergraduate thesis work in the lab of Dr. Rebecca Dutch focused on the human
metapneumovirus fusion protein and how it facilities entry into the host cell.
Mac is now a first year PhD student in the Microbiology department at Yale. They are
currently investigating mechanisms of human papillomavirus entry in the laboratory of Dr. Daniel
DiMaio. Mac serves as the co-president
​
of the graduate chapter of o
​ STEM @ Yale. Outside of
lab, Mac enjoys spending far too much money on attending concerts, far too much time listening
to new bands, and definitely not enough time reading papers.
Nathan Nguyen
My name is Nathan Nguyen and I am a 2nd year
PhD student in Cell Biology. I come from the faraway land
known as California. Before attending Yale, I studied
Molecular Biology, Bioinformatics, and Astrophysics at the
University of California – Santa Cruz. My scientific interest is
in Astrobiology, hence I spent some time of my
undergraduate career working for NASA to develop biofuel
and recycling methods for space missions. I also tackled
experimental and computational projects at UCSC and
UCSF to study DNA sequencing via solid-state nanopores,
characterize ribonucleases of Archaean species, and
understand epithelial cells formation for tissue engineering.
Currently I am engaged in basic science research
emphasizing on a cellular process called macroautophagy in Dr. Thomas Melia lab. Beside
doing work in the lab, I represent the Cell Biology department graduate students in our student
government and I am the head coordinator of the graduate affiliate program at one of Yale
several undergraduate residential colleges. My hobbies include reading, singing karaoke,
cooking, and board/video games (I’m the president of the Yale board game group!). I like to talk
to students about doing research, career development, and life as a graduate student.
Helen (Mengyuan) Sun
Originally from Shanghai, I attended Fudan
University for B.S degree in Biological Sciences. During
my undergrad years, I did a lot of traveling and research
at the same time in college. From Fudan to UC Berkeley
and to National Yangming University, I worked with
single-molecule FRET, live cell imaging with lipid bilayer,
and traction force microscopy.
I am a first year Ph.D student in molecular
biophysics and biochemistry department. Currently, I am
engaged in basic science research emphasizing on
understanding the cellular process of cytokinesis and
endocytosis in Dr. Thomas Pollard lab. My project involves a lot of live cell imaging with
super-resolution fluorescence microscope (FPALM) and fission yeast. In my free time, I enjoy
rock climbing, traveling, reading, running around East Rock, or just lying on my bed and chilling
out.
Santiago V. Salazar
Originally from Southern California. I started out
at Santa Ana College and transferred to the University of
California, Santa Cruz, where I graduated in 2013. Go
Banana Slugs! I studied mammary gland development
and breast cancer biology as an undergraduate in the
laboratory of Dr. Lindsay Hinck. I am currently working
on my thesis in the laboratory of Dr. Stephen M.
Strittmatter. We study the molecular mechanisms that
lead to pathophysiology in Alzheimer’s disease.
In addition to lab work, I have engaged with the
entrepreneurial community at Yale. Through the NIH
Neuro Startup Challenge I was able to start a company with other graduate students looking to
commercialize a novel Alzheimer’s disease therapeutic. I am also a current Canaan-Yale fellow.
The Canaan-Yale fellowship provides a small group of students experience in Venture Capital,
commercialization, and portfolio company analysis with a Connecticut based venture capital firm
Canaan Partners.
Besides work and entrepreneurship, I enjoy running outside, a good conversation over
beer/cocktails, and taking care of my pet clown fish! I also have an identical twin brother who is
eager to test Einstein’s Twin Paradox.
Diane Yu
I am a first-year PhD student in Karin Reinisch’s
lab in the Department of Cell Biology. Originally from
Winchester, Massachusetts, I studied
Biophysics/Structural Biology at the University of
Connecticut. In college, I spent a summer abroad
conducting research on membrane mimetic systems for
the single-molecule study of membrane proteins at the
University of Oxford in England. After graduating college
and before starting at Yale, I spent two years working at
Takeda Pharmaceutical Company in Cambridge, MA
where I performed mass spectrometry experiments toward
identification of novel biomarkers and validation of
drug-targets in the area of cancer drug discovery.
Now I investigate the mechanisms of regulators of small GTPases using X-ray
crystallography, biochemistry, and cell biology. Outside of lab, I enjoy participating in science
outreach through Open Labs at Yale, a graduate student fellowship across several scientific
disciplines.
Raman Nelakanti
I am a rising second year MD-PhD student here at Yale. I
hail from the sunny western shores of California, where I spent
much of my life, and attended public school in San Jose. I studied
Bioengineering at Stanford University and also did research, a
cappella singing, and volunteering in the county hospital ER. My
first research experience was using microfluidics and lasers to
detect DNA/RNA. As much as I loved lasers, I became interested in
biomedical research even more. I spent two years researching
induced pluripotent stem cells for tissue transplant applications
before applying to medical school.
I will be doing my PhD in genetics and will be rotating in two
different labs this summer. One with Andrew Xiao, who does work on embryonic stem cells and
epigenetics. The other is with Mustafa Khokha, a physician-scientist who uses frog embryos to
study new mutations he identifies in his pediatric patients. Outside of lab, I enjoy hiking, playing
basketball, teaching, and reading a good book.
Nashid H. Chaudhury
New Haven is the most suburban region I have ever lived
in. My parents are Bangladeshi-immigrants who decided to settle
in Queens, NYC to raise their three children. I attended a small
humanities & classics-based high school (Townsend Harris),
where I became interested in philosophy and human rights. With
the intent of focusing on these in undergrad, I went to a small
liberal arts college in NYC (Barnard). There, my interest in
philosophy morphed into a deeper interest in Neuroscience, and
my passion for human rights transformed into a desire to become
a physician. There, I spent several years working at Columbia
University’s Medical Center on a translational project with amazing mentors (both clinical MDs
and basic science PhDs). I decided to pursue an MD-PhD with the hope that my different
interests could somehow meld into a single career. I’m currently a fourth-year MD-PhD student,
which means I’ve completed the first 2.5 years of medical school (including 6 months of clinical
rotations in Surgery, Neurology, and Internal Medicine), and have spent 1.5 years in Susumu
Tomita’s lab studying molecules necessary for synaptic transmission. Other interests are
traveling, attending live performances, painting, clothing design, and urban farming.
Jeremy Schofield
Originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico, I received my
B.A. in Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology from
Whitman College (in Walla Walla, Washington!). I worked in Tim
Machonkin’s lab, synthesizing active site-mimicking inorganic
models of the enzyme PcpA. While at Whitman, I served as an
academic advisor, resident assistant, tutor and teaching assistant.
I am now a second year PhD student in Matt Simon’s lab.
My current research focuses on developing tools to study the
mechanisms of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) that regulate
chromatin. During my first summer at Yale, I worked at Bristol Myers Squibb pharmaceuticals.
There I synthesized opioid-targeting allosteric modulators, compounds that could potentially
offer safe and specific pain relief with less potential for abuse and side effects.
While not in lab, I enjoy cooking, homebrewing, tennis, and watching motorsports.
Kevin Hughes
Kevin was born in San Diego, California and
raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. His interest in biology
and chemistry developed as a middle school student.
Following his intuition and seeking a new adventure,
Kevin ventured off to rural Iowa to play college football
at Simpson College, where he majored in Biology, and
graduated as a first-generation college student.
During his undergraduate, Kevin was awarded two
consecutive NSF summer undergraduate research
internships that gave him the opportunity to pursue research in microbiology and immunology at
the University of Iowa and University of Wisconsin-Madison, respectively. Following his
graduation, Kevin was selected as a Virginia Tech NIH-Post baccalaureate Research and
Education Program (VT-PREP) Scholar, where he studied chromosome segregation under the
guidance of Dr. Daniela Cimini. During his tenure as VT-PREP scholar, Kevin traveled to
Europe to study nanoscience in Switzerland, France, and Germany.
Kevin is currently a 2nd year graduate student in the Cell Biology department. He is in
Dr. Sandra Wolin’s lab and studies the role of Ro60, a major lupus autoantigen, on RNA
metabolism. Kevin is involved in many science outreach initiatives including the New Haven
Science Fair- a program that pairs up Yale students with local K-12 teachers to help students
with New Haven Science Fair projects. Further, he was recently awarded a National Science
Foundation Fellowship which will allow him to continue his involvement in science outreach and
community service. Kevin enjoys hanging out at the beach (especially California beaches),
cooking, the outdoors, and video games.
Josh Temple
From the small town of Dinwiddie, VA,
Josh grew up working on a hog farm. He is a first
generation college student that attended James
Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA to study
Biophysical Chemistry. There, he was an active
member in his department as a member of the
student-run American Chemical Society chapter
as well as the Alpha Chi Sigma and Phi Sigma Pi
fraternities. His undergraduate research was
conducted in a spectroscopy lab under Gina
MacDonald and centered around fundamental biophysics research examining the effects of
various solution conditions on perturbation of protein structure, stability, aggregation, and
activity.
Josh is a first-year PhD student in the Department of Molecular Biophysics and
Biochemistry. For his academic interests, he is particularly drawn to medically-relevant basic
science research. In the lab of Yong Xiong, he will use structural biology to probe host-pathogen
interactions in the context of HIV. Josh is also a member of the Medical Research Scholars
Program, a Gruber Science Fellow, and an NSF Graduate Research Fellow. For fun, he enjoys
traveling, a good beer, video games, hiking, canoeing, and cooking (and eating).
Lorenzo R. Sewanan
Lorenzo was born to Guyanese parents in Suriname, a
small Caribbean country in South America. At the age of 16,
he and part of his family moved to Jamaica, Queens where he
attended the local public high school Hillcrest. He secured a
Questbridge National Match Scholarship to Trinity College, a
small liberal arts institution in Hartford, Connecticut.
As the first person in his family to finish high school and
to attend college, he decided to make the most of it by
majoring in Physics and Mechanical Engineering, with a minor
in Writing, and studying abroad in Australia. He was involved in
a variety of activities from teaching, mentoring, literacy
outreach, and science outreach. At Trinity, he conducted research on the neuroethology of
weakly electric fish, and spent two summers studying intervertebral disc degeneration at the
Feinstein Institute and was there exposed to the concept of the physician-scientist.
Currently, he is a fourth year MD/PhD student, continuing clinical work in the Wednesday
Evening Clinic at the Yale Primary Care Center and starting his thesis on cardiac biomechanics
and human cardiomyopathy in the lab of Stuart G. Campbell in the Department of Biomedical
Engineering. His leisure time activities include happy hour at Barracuda, cooking, gaming, and
reading.
Abigail Jarret
Abigail grew up in Seattle, Washington and spent most of her
time seeking opportunities to travel. In high school Abigail studied
Arabic and was awarded a travel fellowship to Morocco where she
developed an interest in North African culture. Following this interest
she left highschool at age 16 to study Arabic at the University of
Washington, but also explored classes in topics from anthropology to
microbiology.
As a senior Abigail took a class in immunology which sparked
in her a fierce interest in immunological research and changed the
trajectory of her future. Instead of teaching English in Morocco after
graduating, Abigail joined the lab of Dr. Ram Savan, an assistant
professor of Immunology where she investigated how genetic variants of immune genes impact
disease. Starting as a volunteer, Abigail was eventually promoted to laboratory manager and
conducted her own research while mentoring undergraduate and high school students.
Currently, Abigail is a first year PhD student in the department of Immunobiology in the
lab of Dr. Richard Flavell. While her research projects are still developing, she is interested in
studying the immune response at barrier surfaces. In her free time Abigail enjoys climbing,
hiking and listening to podcasts.
Tyrone DeSpenza
Tyrone DeSpenza is a New Orleans native, and
graduated from Dartmouth College in 2013, majoring in
Neuroscience. After graduating from Dartmouth College,
Tyrone worked as a laboratory technician in the Luikart
Laboratory at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth,
where he studied mutations of the PTEN gene identified
in individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder
and macrocephaly. He is currently a rising second year
MD/PhD student at Yale and is continuing his study of the
Neurosciences.
Tyrone is also heavily involved with mentoring
pre-medical undergraduates. He is the pre-medical liaison
of Yale's SNMA/LMSA chapter, a peer mentor of Yale's
Medical Profession Outreach Program, and a graduate affiliate of Davenport College at Yale.
Additionally, this summer Tyrone will also be working as a teaching assistant in Yale's SMDEP
(Summer Medical and Dental Education Program), to help underrepresented, minority students
from other universities become better prepared for their pre-medical/dental courses and
applications to medical and dental schools. In his free time, Tyrone enjoys going on long runs,
playing jazz on his alto saxophone, and learning foreign languages.
Ephrath Tesfaye
Hello everyone! I am a rising second year PhD student
in the Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental
Biology (MCDB). Though a big fan of traveling, I have
essentially spent my entire life within the tristate area, growing
up near Morristown, New Jersey, attending Cornell University
where I received a B.A. in Biological Sciences (concentrating in
Genomics, Genetics, and Development) with a minor in History
last May, and, of course, ultimately ending up here at Yale.
As an undergrad, I explored several diverse research
experiences before finding “my thing”, my first being a summer
internship similar to Yale’s BioMed SURF in a neuroscience lab
interested in elucidating sex-specific underlying causes of
hypertension. However, subsequent academic and research
experiences (including studying the epigenetics of pluripotency
and the interplay between virus-host genomes during viral infection) helped me narrow down my
broad scientific interests into three, still relatively wide-ranging categories: stem cells,
epigenetics, and non-coding RNAs. I dedicated my first year at Yale to further exploring these
three research fields and ultimately ended up joining Nadya Dimitrova’s lab this April, a lab
broadly interested in teasing out the specific roles/mechanisms of action of long noncoding
RNAs that have been associated with various cancers. When not in lab, I enjoy spending my
time biking, reading, volunteering, watching period dramas, and when time (and my bank
account…) allows it, traveling.
Elias Quijano
Elias Quijano was born to immigrant parents from Ecuador
and Colombia. At the age of 12, he and his mother moved to Hialeah
Florida, where he later attended one of the largest public high
schools in the area. As the first person in his family to graduate high
school, Elias went on to attend Yale University, where he earned a
B.S. in Biomedical Engineering. During his time at Yale, Elias played
rugby, served as captain of the powerlifting team, and led several
outreach programs through STARS to enhance the training and
retention of minority students in the sciences. Before applying to
MD/PhD programs, Elias worked as a full-time research assistant in
the lab of W. Mark Saltzman, helping to develop novel drug delivery systems for use in gene
therapy, contraceptive delivery, and delivery antiretrovirals (ARVs). Elias is currently a rising
second-year in the MD/PhD program at Yale and continues to be involved in the mentoring of
pre-medical undergraduates, serving as a graduate mentor to the STARS program. In his free
time Elias enjoys paddle boarding, hiking, and lifting with friends.