Students - Current and Past

Hana Colagrosso

Jasmine Jathan

Jasmine earned a Master’s degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology from the University of New Haven. Throughout her research experiences in cancer biology, she explored topics ranging from testing combinations of natural compounds to mitigate the side effects of chemotherapeutic drugs to evaluating host–pathogen interactions in breast cancer cells. Her time at Yale School of Medicine further deepened her interest in translational cancer biology and motivated her to pursue opportunities that bridge laboratory research with clinical applications. Outside of the lab, Jasmine enjoys trying out recipes, discovering new music artists and traveling with family and friends.

Vincent Lam

Hello! I'm Vincent and I am an incoming PhD in the MCB program. Before Stony Brook, I studied the spread of Lyme disease and other tick borne diseases at SUNY Binghamton. I previously studied at Stony Brook as well for my Masters, researching diapause in African Turquoise Killifish. I am interested in many aspects of life sciences but my particular interests lie in aging and genetics. Outside of the lab I enjoy cooking, drawing and swimming. I'm looking forward to meeting all the other students!

Madison Lapine

Madison is from Clinton Corners, New York. She has a Bachelor’s in Biology with a Biochemistry Concentration from Emmanuel College in Boston. Her research background is in molecular biology, genetics, biochemistry and developmental biology. She previously worked in a developmental immunology lab at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory where she studied the development of the thymus, thymic epithelial cells and their interactions with T cells in maintaining a functional immune system. Her time at Cold Spring Harbor reinforced her passion for developmental biology and is excited to expand her knowledge across other systems. In her free time, Madison likes to play beach volleyball, volunteer at her local cat shelter, and spend time with her own cat S’mores!

Stephen Lin

Hi! I'm Stephen, an incoming Ph.D. student in the MCB program at SBU. Before joining Stony Brook, I was studying cancer immunology at UC Berkeley. I am interested in finding the cure for cancer! Outside of the lab, I enjoy trying new foods, traveling, reading, and playing video games. I'm excited to meet everyone and look forward to the next few years at SBU!

Ryan Nickens

Priscilla Ramchand

Priscilla earned her Bachelor's degree in Biology with Departmental Honors from the City University of New York at Brooklyn College. She was a Goldwater Scholar and NIH URISE Scholar whose research spans neuroscience, epigenetics, regenerative medicine, and computational biology. She has conducted research at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Rockefeller University, University of Montreal Hospital Research Center, the American Museum of Natural History, and Brooklyn College. Priscilla’s honors thesis focused on characterizing and modulating histone post-translational modifications in a yeast model of Matrin-3 associated ALS proteinopathy. In her personal life she enjoys hiking, baking and traveling.

Angel Reddy

Sofie Subiaur

Quinn Whitely

Brandon Arroyo

Brandon graduated with a bachelor's in biological sciences from Hunter College in 2025. While a student, he was part of the Maximizing Access to Research Careers (MARC) program where he participated on a project studying Epidermal Growth Factor's (EGFR) contribution to tumorigenesis. More specifically, how the N361 glycosylation site plays a role in the processes that contribute to the cell's tumorigenesis. Additionally, Brandon was selected to attend the 2023 Summer Cancer Research Institute (SCRI) cohort in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As a Stony Brook graduate student, Brandon is very excited for the opportunity to further immerse himself in cancer research. Specifically, studying cancer mechanisms and learn how to exploit targetable areas to make more effective treatments. Additionally, he is thrilled to have the opportunity to learn how to teach and possibly get undergraduate students engaged with and excited for biology. Brandon loves music. He is a huge fan of rock music with some of his favorite bands being: Green Day, Stone Temple Pilots, Metallica, and The Beatles. Furthermore, he is an avid guitar player and plays in a couple bands from Orange County, NY. Brandon is doing his thesis research in the lab of Dr. Kenneth Shroyer.

Safa Chowdhury

Safa earned her B.Sc. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Shahjalal University of Science & Technology (SUST), Bangladesh. Her academic journey revealed a humbling truth: she herself is composed of countless molecules constantly communicating and seeking harmony within the grand design of life. This realization deepened her wonder for the molecular poetry that sustains life and continues to fuel her passion for biological discovery. She is driven by a dual calling, to advance human physical health through impactful research and to nurture mental well-being through inspiring words. Her research interests lie at the intersection of basic and translational science, with a focus on developing innovative therapeutics and diagnostics. Beyond the lab, Safa finds joy in music and strength in inspirational content. Guided by a deep belief in healing, both molecular and emotional, she aspires to make the world a little better by relieving human suffering. Safa is conducting thesis research in the lab of Dr. Benjamin Lin.

Paul Darnell

Paul graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park and began research at the Rockefeller University in Manhattan as a research assistant in the Heintz Lab. His primary focus has been mechanisms of neurodegenerative disease in human cortex and cell type specific differential gene expression in Alzheimer's and Huntington's Disease. Some of Paul's favorite pastimes are cooking, going to the gym, taking care of his plants, and playing chess. Paul is doing his thesis research in the lab of Dr. Adrian Krainer.

Emily de Onis

Emily de Onis earned her B.S. in Environmental Science and Biology from the University of Scranton and her M.S. in Biochemistry and Cell Biology from Stony Brook University. She completed her masters thesis in Dr. Luk’s lab where she worked on developing a yeast strain that expresses a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) hydrolase. Emily has worked as a chemist at the Suffolk County Water Authority, where she analyzed drinking water for metals and minerals, and as a Research Associate at Terragia Biofuels, where she engineered thermophilic bacteria to improve the conversion of cellulosic biomass to ethanol. She is doing thesis research the Luk Lab.

Katelyn Grote

Katelyn graduated from the University of Rochester with a B.S. in Molecular Genetics in 2024. She is primarily interested in chromatin regulation and the role of epigenetics in disease. In her free time, Katelyn enjoys spending time with her corgi, Mobius, assembling Lego sets, traveling, and finding new restaurants to try with her husband. Katelyn is a Graduate Council Fellow and is conducting thesis research in the lab of Dr. Julia Rogers.

Rebecca Harris

Rebecca graduated from the University of California, Davis in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in genetics and genomics. In 2019, she joined the translational research lab of Dr. Julie Sutcliffe and developed hands-on expertise in the in vitro and in vivo evaluation of radiopharmaceuticals for both imaging and treatment. In her most recent project, she evaluated the combination of a 177Lu-based peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) and PARP inhibitors in pancreatic cancer. She is very interested in exploring the intersection of genetics and cancer biology to develop novel ways to increase the efficacy of cancer therapeutics. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, cooking, reading, and doing puzzles. Rebecca is doing thesis research in the lab of Dr. Chuck Pratt.

Dakota Jones

Dakota graduated from the University of Connecticut in 2022 with her B.S. in Neurobiology and Physiology. After graduating, she moved back to her hometown of Boston, MA, where she worked in clinical medicine before joining the Alysandratos Lab at Boston University's Center for Regenerative Medicine. Here, she utilized induced pluripotent stem-cell derived in-vitro models to investigate the disease pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis. While she enjoyed working in developmental biology and regenerative medicine, Dakota's research interests also include neurobiology, translational medicine, cancer biology, and immunology. Outside of the lab, Dakota enjoys reading, playing tennis, drawing, and running. Dakota is doing thesis research in the lab of Dr. Jessica Seeliger.

Amy Kuang

Amy attended from Stony Brook University for her BS and Hunter College for her MS. While pursuing her MS, she worked as a research technician in the Racanelli lab at Albert Einstein College of Medicine focusing on the role of the dysfunction of endothelial cells in various lung disease states. Her research interests include understanding the effects of cellular interactions on the microenvironment. Outside of the lab, she enjoys going to the gym, hiking, traveling, and brewing specialty coffee. Amy is conducting thesis research in the lab of Dr. Peng Mao.

Adam Leszczynski

Adam graduated from Stevens Institute of Technology with his Bachelor's and Master's degree in Chemical Biology with a certificate in drug discovery. His research at Stevens was primarily focused on the effects of perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) on human fallopian tube epithelial (FTE) cells and C. elegans. In addition, he also completed two NSF-funded summer research projects with NJIT and Montclair State University on PFAS adsorption to microplastics and rice fish developmental biology, respectively. Outside of research, he enjoyed working as a teaching assistant at Stevens, and likes to maintain aquariums, garden, and practice the trumpet. Adam joined the lab of Dr. Benjamin Lin.

Owen Liu

Owen earned a BEng degree in Bioengineering from Dalian University of Technology in 2022. With a greater interest in molecular biology, he joined Wuhan University, where he obtained an MS in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in 2025. At the College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, he conducted research in Dr. Hai-Ning Du’s lab. His research focused on histone modifications, including H3K36me3, H3K36ac, and H2Bub1. His master’s thesis explored the biological role of histone H2B monoubiquitination in yeast’s response to nutrient stress. He hopes to gain more understanding of the mechanisms underlying cancer development at the epigenetic level during his PhD journey. Outside the lab, he enjoys watching movies, video editing, cooking, playing ping pong, and running. Owen is conducting thesis research in the lab of Dr. Wei Yang.

Stefan Liu

Stefan received dual B.S. degrees in Biochemistry and Neurobiology from the University of California, San Diego in 2022. He worked as a research technician in the Gupta Lab at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he focused on mouse colony management, organoid models, and drug resistance projects. His research interests center on the tumor microenvironment, particularly the crosstalk between early immune responses and metastatic potential. Outside the lab, Stefan enjoys film photography and skiing with his family. Stefan is doing thesis research in the lab of Dr. Michael Mak.

Zijian Qin

Zijian Qin received his Bachelor of Medicine (MBBS) in Clinical Medicine from Lanzhou University in 2024. During his undergraduate studies, he joined Professor Fangfang Zhang’s lab at the Institute of Pathology and Pathophysiology, where he investigated pulmonary fibrosis with a focus on tissue inflammation, aging, and repair mechanisms in cancer and chronic diseases. In 2024, Zijian began working with Professor Tao Li at Sun Yat-sen University, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, contributing to research on fibrosis and inflammation in neuro-retinal diseases. With a strong background in clinical diagnostics and treatment, Zijian’s research interests span cancer biology, neurobiology, pathology, and translational medicine. Outside of the lab, he enjoys swimming, going to the gym, cooking, traveling, listening to music, and spending time in nature and with puppies and kittens. Zijian joined the lab of Dr. Erich Mackow for his thesis research.

Harry Samaroo

Harry joins the MCB program from industry where he spent many years studying neurological disorders at both large pharmaceutical companies and at a small biotech start-up. He started his academic journey by completing a bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering from Brown University. He then joined the Neuroscience Research Unit at Pfizer where he completed research in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease and developed extensive expertise in drug discovery. He also worked at Biogen where he implemented the use of induced pluripotent stem cells for assay development in support of multiple drug discovery programs. More recently, he has continued to support drug discovery programs and platforms while studying repeat expansion disorders and RNA splicing at Rgenta Therapeutics. In pursuing his doctoral studies, Harry endeavors to develop a deeper understanding of mechanisms associated with disease and learning about more recent technological advances to fill existing gaps in drug discovery. Harry is passionate about science but also makes time to explore other interests including history, learning new languages, and traveling. Harry is doing his thesis research in the lab of Dr. Vish Chandrasekaran.

Kehan Yi

Kehan obtained her B.S. in Biomedical Sciences from Zhejiang University and University of Edinburgh (dual degree) in 2023. While at Zhejiang University, she was an undergraduate researcher studying the role of stress granules in the pathology of neurodegenerative diseases in Dr. Ge Bai’s lab. In 2024, Kehan joined Dr. Shawn Liu's lab at Columbia University Medical Center as a research assistant to investigate the precise editing of epigenome. In her spare time, Kehan enjoys singing, reading, doing handcrafts, playing guitar and traveling. Kehan joined the lab of Dr. Peng Mao for her thesis research.

Zainab Ahmed

Zainab graduated with a BS in Molecular Genetics from SUNY College at Fredonia. While at Fredonia, Zainab secured highly competitive funding from Fredonia's Office of Student Creativity and Research to support her senior year's research. She was accepted into the Scripps Research Institute where she undertook the challenge of characterizing the mechanism of action of a small molecule, A20, discovered through a high-throughput screening process. She looks to make a meaningful contribution to our understanding of cancer biology and to help combat this devastating disease. Zainab is doing her thesis research in the Brownlee lab.

Maxwell Allison

Max graduated with a B.S in Biology from Tufts University in 2022, where he studied the mechanisms of CAG/CTG nucleotide repeat fragility in the Freudenereich lab. From 2022 to 2024, Max worked as a research technician in the Kadoch lab at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute studying the interactions of different transcription factors and the mSWI/SNF complex in multiple cancer types. He is interested in understanding the mechanisms that control chromatin regulation. Outside of lab, Max enjoys hiking, cooking elaborate meals, and biking. Max is conducting his thesis research in the Vakoc lab.

Hannah Bochniak

Hannah is interested in the intersection of DNA and genetics with medical issues. Hannah enjoys going to the gym, playing soccer and reading. Fun fact: Hannah collects keychains from every new place she travels to! Hannah is conducting her thesis research in the Karzai lab.

Abigail Booth

Abby holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She began applying her knowledge by joining the molecular biology group at Abveris and advancing technical skills, namely sequencing of hybridomas and single cells, and honing her troubleshooting abilities. She then moved into the research operations group at Matchpoint Therapeutics where she was able to expand her understanding of small molecule drug discovery and immunology. Abby is doing her thesis research in the lab of Dr. Richard Lin.

Charly Campanella

I received a B.S. in Biology from St. John Fisher University in Spring 2024. During my time at Fisher, I worked in the Murphy Lab, which studied how certain disruptions to erythropoiesis can lead to specific anemias and other blood disorders like MDS. We also looked into finding alternatives to specific biochemical reagents to make research more affordable at PUIs. I am currently interested in pursuing research focused on cancer pathogenesis and immunology. I enjoy reading books and baking for others in my free time. Charly is conducting her thesis research in the Clarke lab.

Caroline Casella

Caroline received her B.A. in Biological Sciences from Macaulay Honors College and Hunter College in 2023. While a student at Hunter College, she began working in the Bratu Lab. After graduation, she continued her work there studying spatial-temporal mRNA regulation, and processing body (P-body) formation and organization in Drosophila melanogaster oogenesis. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, reading, and crocheting. Caroline is doing her research in the Nelson lab.

Aparna Dileep

Aparna holds a BS-MS in Biology from the Indian Institute of Science and Research Kolkata in India. During her master's thesis, she investigated the function of PIL13 in thermo morphogenesis. Following her graduation, she joined IISc Bangalore as a research assistant, concentrating on Cancer immunology. Currently, her research interest centers around understanding how the tumor microenvironment influences cancer metastasis. Beyond her academic pursuits, she finds enjoyment in listening to music and reading books. Aparna is doing her thesis research in the  Serebryany lab.

Emma Downey

Emma graduated with a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Spring 2024. During her time at Georgia Tech, she worked in the Lab for Cellular and Macromolecular Engineering under Dr. Krishnendu Roy. Her projects focused on using lung-in-chip devices to investigate the effects of lung adenocarcinoma as well as influenza A virus. She is interested in pursuing research in cancer biology, immunology, and translational work. In her free time, she enjoys running, baking and reading. Emma is conducting her thesis research in the Luberto lab .

Catherine Finnerty

Catherine graduated from The College of Saint Rose in the spring of 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry. In her  undergraduate career, she was a research volunteer and intern at Albany Medical College in the Higgins and Samarakoon Lab. There, she studied nuclear transducers of the HIPPO pathway in the context of chronic kidney disease. In her free time, Catherine likes to exercise, watch movies, and hang out with friends. Catherine is conducting her thesis resarch in the Mackow lab .

Pakshal Jain

Pakshal obtained a BS in Biotechnology from the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati. Pakshal has shown an exceptional aptitude for scientific inquiry and technical proficiency. He was successful in establishing a 3D cell culture model in his undergraduate lab to study cancer metastasis and chemoresistance, a testament to his methodical approach and innovative thinking. Pakshal hopes to one day head a cancer lab of his own in India and become a science communicator.  Pakshal is conducting his thesis research in the Takemaru lab .

Benteng Ma

Benteng earned a dual MS in Biomedical Engineering and Biotechnology from New York University. He also obtained a BS in Biotechnology from Wuhan University in China. His interests lie in understanding how cells interact with the microenvironment and the molecular regulation of their normal functions. He hopes to become an independent researcher in a college or institute to explore the causes of diseases and help develop new treatment methods. Benteng is conducting this thesis research in the Wan lab.

Gillian Moschetta

Gillian received her B.S. and M.S. in Chemical Biology from Stevens Institute of Technology in 2020 and 2021, where she was member of the Sharma Lab studying and synthesizing novel metastatic breast cancer chemotherapy compounds. After graduating, she joined Dr. Jodie Babitt’s lab at Massachusetts General Hospital as a research technician studying iron regulation and related disorders. Her work focused on bone morphogenic proteins (BMPs), specifically Bmp5 and Bmp2, and their signaling relationship with coreceptor proteins HFE and HJV within epithelial cells which regulate iron in the liver and other major organs. Gillian enjoys gardening, spending time at the beach, eating good food, and bird watching. She especially loves her pet Kiwi the lovebird and her many aquarium fish. Gillian is doing her thesis  research in the Biswas Laboratory.

Kevin Moti

Kevin comes to us from Vassar College where he earned a BS in Biology. Kevin hopes to deepen his understanding of bacterial mechanisms, focusing on antibiotic resistance and solutions to counter this global health problem while being able to impart this curiosity through teaching. He is an an advocate of outreach and education. He wants to instill students with a love of science and expand their curiosities in ways that were not available to him when he was young. Kevin is doing his thesis research in the Boon lab.

Frederick Peetz

Frederick is interested in cancer, cellular signaling and cell motility.  He enjoys hiking, reading and going to the gym. He has played the violin for 14 years! Frederick is doing his thesis research at Cold Spring Harbor Lab in the lab of David Tuveson.

Daisy Rubio

Daisy comes to us from St. John's University where she earned a BS in Biochemistry. Daisy is intellectually curious and self-motivated and is interested in the protein-RNA networks that control AS and how they relate to neurological diseases. She hopes to learn more about RNA and use this knowledge to advance public health. Daisy is doing her research in the Nelson lab.

Monica Alexander

Monica graduated with a BS in Biology from the University at Albany in the spring of 2023. She completed her undergraduate honors thesis in the Welsh Lab at UA’s Cancer Research Center investigating the differential effects of vitamin K compounds on the triple negative breast cancer cell line SUM159PT. Other undergraduate projects conducted through Brookhaven National Laboratory focused on plant metabolomics and theoretical drug design for the SARS-CoV-2 RdRp. Her current interests broadly include cancer biology, human disease mechanisms, and clinical research. Monica is doing her thesis research in the Clarke lab.

Francesco Castelli

Hello I’m Francesco Castelli, I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Cellular and Molecular biology with a minor in Applied Statistics from Stephen F Austin University. I like to play basketball and listen to audio books in my free time. Go Rockets!” Francesco is conducting his thesis research in the lab of Dr. Benjamin Lin.

Jiyao Chai

Jiyao received his BS degree in Bioengineering and Bioprocess Engineering from Beijing University of Chemical Technology and SUNY-ESF respectively in 2021, and his MS degree in Biochemistry & Cell Biology from Stony Brook University in winter 2022.During his master study and as a Research Technician after graduation, his research mainly focused on the cellular mechanism of Saccharomyces Cerevisiae and the structure of the Spindle Pole Body during meiosis. He is also interested in lipid transfer research, stem cell related research, protein structure research and cancer biology. Jiyao is doing his thesis research in the Airola Lab.

Justin Clarke

Justin graduated with a BS in Biology from Adelphi University in 2016 and went on receive a MS in Biology with a concentration in Molecular and Cell Biology, also from Adelphi in 2018. His undergraduate and graduate research involved investigating the role of the VHL tumor suppressor gene in both neuroendocrine pancreatic beta cells and human breast cancer cells. From 2019-2023, he worked as a Research Technician at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in NY City as part of the Integrated Genomics Operation R&D and Single Cell groups. His current research interests include investigating the clinical and translational medical application of cancer genetics and genomic medicine. Other interests include history, politics and science fiction.

Eric Girardi

Eric Girardi graduated from Brown University with an B.S. in Neuroscience. Broadly, he is interested in aging and neurodegenerative diseases. He hopes his aging research will let him and others live longer, giving him more time to find other interesting topics to research, hang out with his friends more, and do more cool stuff. Eric is a MSTP student, currently completing his thesis research in the lab of Chi-Kuo Hu.

Sophia Long

Sophia is a Research Assistant in the Trotman Lab at Cold Spring Harbor. https://www.trotmanlab.org/. Her research interest is in metastatic prostrate cancer. She enjoys reading and going to see musicals on Broadway. Fun Fact: I have weird double-jointed fingers that creep people out! Sophia has a BA and MS in Biology with a specialization in Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, and Genetics, both from Boston University. She worked in the Ravid Lab in Boston University School of Medicine, focusing on the JAK2 V617F mutation's role in myeloproliferative neoplasms using human cell lines. She also worked in SMAGL at Boston Unviersity, under the guidance of Dr. Christopher Schmitt.

Colin McLaughlin

Colin McLaughlin holds a Bachelor of Science in Molecular and Cell Biology from Binghamton University. He has worked at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in the Lee and Westcott labs focusing on spatial transcriptomics and immunotherapy models of cancer. His current research interests include characterizing the immune response to tumor development as well as the correlation between brain cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. Colin is doing his thesis research in the Biswas Laboratory.

Daniel Toobian

Daniel Toobian received his B.S. in Biochemistry/Cell Biology and B.A. in Philosophy from UCSD in 2020. He then received his M.S. in Biology from UCSD in 2021 while working on PPAR signaling and macrophage function as well as CCDC88A's function in neutrophils in the Pradipta Ghosh lab. After graduation, Daniel worked as a Research Associate in the Michael Karin lab assisting with projects on Kupffer cells and the progression of NAFLD to liver fibrosis and liver cancer. Daniel is currently conducting his thesis research on epigenetic regulation of pancreatic cancer in the Vakoc lab.

Yan Zhong Wong

Yan Zhong completed his Bachelor's Degree in Life Sciences at the National University of Singapore in 2019, and worked as an Assistant Research Officer in Temasek Life Sciences Laboratories before graduating with a MS by Research in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Edinburgh in 2021, having worked on an in silico C. elegans oxygen-sensing neuron model and manipulation of polycomb complexes in cell culture. Time permitting, he enjoys writing, travel, and amateur video game development. Yan Zhong is conducting thesis research in the lab of Dr. Dada Pisconti.

Wenyi Yang

Wenyi received her B.S. degree in Biological Sciences from the Southern University of Science and Technology, China in 2023. Her undergrad thesis was done at UCSF about the cell signaling pathway in secretory autophagy and its relation to cancer progression. Wenyi would like to focus more on the combination between cancer biology and exosome formation in her future study. In her spare time, she enjoys dancing, traveling and cooking. Wenyi is conducting thesis research in the lab of Dr. Linda VanAelst in Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.