Program Leaders

Gabe Barrón is a 4th year PhD candidate in Immunology at Stanford University. Gabe was born and raised in Chicago and graduated with honors from the University of Chicago with a B.S. in Biological Sciences. At Stanford in the Howitt Lab, he studies mucosal immunology with a focus on how antibodies are made against friends and foes present in the gut. He hopes this work will shed light on leveraging better strategies in making oral vaccines. In his free time, Gabe loves making pottery, photographing the Bay’s beautiful landscapes, and reading poetry.

Zaria Contejean is from Detroit, Michigan and received her bachelor’s degree in Genetics at Michigan State University. She is currently a 2nd year PhD candidate in the Barnes Lab, where she harnesses structural biology, and protein biochemistry tools to address questions regarding Flavivirus replication, and antibody therapies for coronaviruses. Zaria is a recipient of the Ford Fellowship and an instructor at the Stanford Online High School for the Genetics course. She is passionate about mentoring and teaching and enjoys working with students. In her spare time, she enjoys baking, reading, and running.

Youlim is a current PhD candidate in Microbiology and Immunology working in Dr. Manuel Amieva’s lab. She graduated from Duke University with a B.S. in Biology, a minor in Chemistry, and a Certificate in the Arts of the Moving Image. Her research is focused on understanding the role Helicobacter pylori plays in gastric pathogenesis and whether disease progression affects the microbe. Outside of research, Youlim loves getting involved in organizations and communities at Stanford such as the Stanford Biosciences Student Association, the Graduate Life Office, and XTRM Kpop Dance. She is always down to try new foods, binge-watch television shows, and play with everyone’s pets.

Nabor is a 2nd year PhD candidate in the Biology department working in Dr. Jessica Feldman’s lab. He graduated with a Bachelors in Arts in Biology from Lawrence University. After graduating in 2019, he wanted to explore his career options and joined Dr. Daniel Colón-Ramos’ lab at Yale as a research associate. His project focused on understanding the precise neuronal wiring during embryogenesis using Caenorhabditis elegans, a model organism. This research experience sparked his interest in developmental biology and the use of in vivo imaging techniques to explore the unknown. Currently, his thesis tries to uncover molecules that lead to a unique microtubule reorganization during development. Nabor tries to foster a welcoming environment and is passionate about diversifying STEM. He works with different organizations to recruit and promote STEM to high school/undergraduate students of underrepresented backgrounds. Outside of the lab, you can find Nabor playing soccer, taking nature walks and watching superhero movies/TV shows.

Aidan Tousley is a third year MD-PhD candidate in Stanford’s Genetics Program. Born and raised in California, he studied Biology at Cabrillo Community College before transferring to UCSC, where he earned a BS in Biochemistry. After graduating, he worked as a research associate in the Majzner Lab at Stanford University, where he engineered logic-gated CAR T cells for combating solid tumors. Since entering Stanford’s MD-PhD program, he has joined the Roth Lab, where he utilizes combinatorial perturbation screening methods in primary immune cells to engineer therapeutically useful synthetic cell states. Aidan is passionate about teaching and mentorship for upcoming scientists in the STEM field. In his free time, Aidan enjoys running, video games, board games, and drawing.

Jewel is a Stanford Propel postdoctoral fellow in the Anesthesia department working in Dr. Laura Simons’s Biobehavioral Pediatric Pain Lab. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology with a Psychology minor from the University of Virginia in 2019. After graduation, she spent a year at the University of Georgia (UGA) as a postbaccalaureate scholar studying the neuropharmacology of drugs of abuse. At UGA, she found her passion for substance use research and decided to pursue her PhD in Neuroscience at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMB), which she obtained in 2024. Under the mentorship of Dr. Luana Colloca, her doctoral thesis focused on the use of placebo effects as a non-pharmacological treatment for adults with chronic pain. As a postdoctoral fellow, her research has pivoted from the adult to pediatric chronic pain world as she works to develop pain biomarkers and individually tailored pain interventions for youth. Ultimately, she hopes to improve the lives of children with chronic pain and their families. She is passionate about mentoring students and helping to increase the recruitment and retainment of the next generation of physicians and scientists. When she isn’t in the lab, you can find her trying a new sushi spot, going for a hike, and spending quality time with her family and friends.

Cyrus Buckman, from Accra, Ghana, is pursuing an MD at Stanford School of Medicine as a Knight-Hennessy Scholar. He graduated from Earlham College with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry. Cyrus aspires to bring improved healthcare access to people living in underserved communities across the globe. At Stanford, Cyrus served on the Organization for Global Health board to promote global health initiatives. He also served as the Community Outreach Chair of the Cardinal Free Clinics, which provides access to high-quality transitional medical care for underserved patient populations in the Bay area. Cyrus is passionate about providing mentorship and educational resources to help students achieve their potential. He has advised several pre-med students through the medical school application process to pay forward the support he received on his journey. When he is not studying or catching up with family and friends, Cyrus can be found playing tennis, ping pong, or soccer.

Lauren is a 4th year MD/PhD student at Stanford studying myelin dynamics in learning and disease in the Zuchero lab. She holds a B.S. in Neuroscience from Johns Hopkins University, and has conducted basic and translational research on ALS nucleocytoplasmic transport defects, cardiac regeneration, and targeted imaging and drug delivery in the cardiac conduction system. Outside of her research, Lauren has been deeply involved in teaching and mentorship, and hopes to dedicate her time to expanding access to physician and physician-scientist training. In her free time, she loves to walk her cat, eat amazing food in the Bay Area, hike (slowly), and play tennis!

Dr. McKay Mullen is a postdoctoral scholar in the cardiovascular institute at Stanford School of Medicine. He attended Morehouse College, Atlanta, and obtained a B.S. in Psychology in 2008. He then joined Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta and obtained a master’s degree in biomedical research in 2015 and a Ph.D. in Biomedical Science in 2021, studying the effect of chemotherapy on triple-negative breast cancer. As a postdoctoral fellow, his research has focused on evaluating racial disparities as they relate to cardio-oncology. Specifically, he plans to study the impact of chemotherapy on the cardiovascular system and evaluate whether racial disparities influence healthcare outcomes. This is his third year with the postbac program, and his primary goal outside of his research is helping students obtain either a Ph.D., MD, or MD, Ph.D. His hobbies include drawing, cooking, and playing soccer.

Lily is a 4th year PhD candidate in the Microbiology and Immunology program, co-advised by Jan Carette and Wah Chiu. In the lab, she studies host-pathogen interactions by characterizing viral proteins and host factors using cryo-EM. She is originally from St. Louis, Missouri and went to college at WashU, where she studied biomedical engineering and computational biology. In her free time, she likes playing music, rock climbing, and petting dogs.

Alicia is a first year MD/PhD student from Los Angeles, CA. She is second-gen Mexican-American, and the first in her family to attend college. She graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Biochemistry from Mount St. Mary’s University LA. After graduating in 2022, she spend 2 years at Johns Hopkins conducting HIV research in Dr. Dionna Williams’ and Dr. Joel Blankson’s labs. In her free time, Alicia enjoys cooking with friends, working out, and going dancing.

Suyash Raj graduated from Washington University in St. Louis in 2015, after which he moved to Boston to research at Boston Children’s Hospital for two years, followed by working at Vertex Pharmaceuticals for another two years. He then joined the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine for his PhD in 2021. He currently works in Dr. Irv Weissman’s lab studying neural stem cells. In his free time he loves to play video games and cook

Samantha Zenteno graduated from UC Berkeley in 2022 with a BA in Psychology and Molecular and Cell Biology with an emphasis in Neurobiology. She was a transfer student from Diablo Valley College, where she majored in Biology and Natural Science. Samantha is currently at Williams PanLab, where she will be researching potential biotypes of depression and investigating biomarkers that may better predict an individual’s response to a specific course of treatment.

Edward C. and Amy H. Sewall Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology and Professor, by courtesy, of Molecular and Cellular Physiology. Dr. Ricci is the previous Director of the Neuroscience Graduate program as well as the co-founder and current faculty director of the ADVANCE summer institute, an onboarding program for graduate students within the biosciences who come from underserved communities. He presently serves as director of Research in the Department of Otolaryngology as well as the Associate Dean of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs.

Victoria is a current PhD candidate in the biology department on the ecology and evolution track. She is a NSF GRFP Fellow and CMB Grant trainee who graduated from Duke University with a B.S. in Environmental science and certificate in Science & Society. Co-advised by Drs Molly Schumer and Dmitri Petrov, her research interests span across population genomics and the application of population theory to aid in species preservation. Often the questions Victoria seeks to answer land at the intersection of patterns of genetic diversity and their effects on species’ extinction risk.  Outside of the lab, Victoria enjoys traveling and hopes to see the Northern Lights this year!

James is the Director of the Postbac Research Program. He received his PhD from Stanford School of Medicine, Immunology Program, where he studied the role of the immune response in acute rejection after solid-organ transplantation. He loves all things immunology and science related. Additionally, he is passionate about student wellness and addressing inequities that negatively impact minoritized students in academia. In his personal time, he enjoys medium distance trail races, watching and playing basketball, anime (or generally binging a good tv series), wine-and-paint nights, board games and video games, learning new musical instruments, and basking in the sun. He loves the performing arts and has spent 4 years as a dance choreographer and 3 years performing with Stanford Taiko (a Japanese-style drumming group). His favorite social activity with friends is to go on culturally themed food tours and eat amazing food all day.

Brenda received her PhD in Biophysics from Stanford, where she developed drug delivery techniques and studied the impacts of localized anesthetics on the brain. Her work has inspired her to pursue medical school to bring research from the bench to the lab, so she is currently pursuing her MD at Stanford. As a first-generation, low-income student from Merced, CA, she is an avid advocate for mentorship programs and demystifying STEM pathways. In her free time, she enjoys finding new food places, weightlifting, cooking, and live music. Catch her in some k-pop dance covers.