Paola Giusti-Rodriguez, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
Dr. Giusti-Rodriguez earned her BS in Biology at the University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras. She completed her PhD in Cell and Developmental Biology at Harvard University, where her doctorate research focused on studying the molecular basis of neurodegeneration. Her postdoctoral research was conducted at UNC Chapel Hill, where she studied antipsychotic side effects through mouse populations.
Luz M. Porras, Ph.D
Post-Doctoral Researcher
Dr. Porras obtained her PhD in Genetics at the University of Barcelona-Spain, where she focused on programming and machine learning, developing pathogenic predictors. Her focus has been on experimental laboratory, particularly in molecular and cell biology. One of her contributions in the lab include the standardization of protocols for bioinformatic genetic analysis.
Isabelle Rodriguez Lausell
Laboratory Technician
Isabelle graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in Biology and a minor in Health Promotion. She was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She joined the lab with a behavioral neuroscience background, previously working with rodents to study addiction through cocaine acquisition experiments. Isabelle is pursuing a doctorate in Neuroscience.
Gabriel A. Iglesias Maldonado
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Gabriel is an undergraduate Biomedical Engineering student at the University of Florida. He was born and raised in Puerto Rico and is fluent in both English and Spanish. His future aspirations include pursuing a master's in Computer Science with an emphasis on Software Development. He's currently involved in many bioinformatics projects, iPSCs neuronal differentiation and other chromatin organization assay optimizations.
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Emily Val Tuliao
Laboratory Assistant
Emily is an undergraduate Biology student at the University of Florida, she is expecting to graduate with her Bachelors and a minor in Digital Arts and Sciences. She joined the lab with hopes to gain more familiarity in experimental laboratory settings and genomics. Currently, Emily hopes to pursue a doctorate in Medicine.
Gabriela Martinez
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Gabriela is a Biochemistry student at the University of Florida, hoping to also minor in Computer and Information Science. While she has little experience with laboratory work, she has a passion for research and is excited to build a background in functional genomics. She hopes to pursue either a doctorate in Biochemistry or Medicine.
Rachel Faith Eloy
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Rachel is an undergraduate Neuroscience and Women's Studies student at the University of Florida. Her research background is centered around neurobiology, but she hopes to further her skills in functional genomics and bioinformatics by working in this lab. She aspires to pursue a doctorate in Clinical Neuropsychology with a research focus on neurogenetics psychosis research for marginalized populations.
Chelsey M. Leveque
Post-bac Fellow
Chelsey received her BS in Psychology with minors in Chemistry and Biology from Manhattan College in New York. Her interests include behavioral work, mostly focused on women, maternal and child health. She aspires to pursue a doctorate in Clinical Psychology with a focus on the aforementioned populations. She's currently involved in risky decision-making work, as well as our chromatin organization projects.