Current members
Narciso Pavon (NSB Ph.D. student) (he/him)
Narciso received his B.A. from Florida International University where he began his journey in academic research. He got his start in an infant and primate motor development lab and went on to widen his horizons by interning at an educational neuroscience lab at the University of Alabama. Currently, Narciso is pursuing his Ph.D. in Neuroscience and Behavior as joint member of the Pak lab and Dr. Sun’s Laboratory for Multiscale Bioengineering and Mechanobiology. His research interests include characterizing the spatiotemporal dynamicity of neurogenesis and engineering new methods for the optimization of tissue culturing and organogenesis.
Jay English (MCB Ph.D. student) (he/him)
Jay was born in Odessa, TX and joined the military directly out of high school. After completing his service, Jay obtained a B.S. in Biology from The University of Texas Permian Basin where he worked as an undergraduate researcher studying the effects of endocannabinoids on fatty acid transport across the placental barrier. After matriculation, he obtained his M.S. In Biology with a focus on neurodegenerative diseases from the same school. His work focused on the role of Presenilin Associated Protein in neurodegeneration using amyotrophic lateral sclerosis cell culture and mouse models. Jay continued his research goals in the Molecular and Cellular Biology Ph.D. program at UMass Amherst, where he now studies neural physiology and transcriptomics in both stem cell and patient-derived neuronal culture models of neuropsychiatric disorders.
Beatriz Martinez-Martin (MCB Ph.D. student) (she/her)
Beatriz is originally from San Diego, California and graduated from the University of San Diego with a bachelor’s degree in Biology and Business Administration. She started her research journey by studying the influence of brush cover and arthropods on avian insectivores but transitioned to working with epilepsy patients in a clinical study at Boston Children’s Hospital. Currently Beatriz is pursuing a PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology as a joint member of the Pak Lab and Dr. Sun’s Laboratory for Multiscale Bioengineering and Mechanobiology. Her research interests include engineering new technologies for the optimization of organoid growth and development. When not in the lab, Beatriz is out traveling the world or hanging out with Lydia.
Lydia Proskauer (MCB Ph.D. student)
Lydia is originally from Newton, Massachusetts and graduated from Colgate University in 2022 with a Bachelor’s degree in molecular biology. She has a background in developmental biology and her undergraduate research focused on characterizing the role of circadian clock homologs in the facilitation of developmental timing in C.elegans. Lydia is currently pursuing her PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology and is excited to utilize stem cell technology to understand the impact that genetic variation can have on neurodevelopmental disorders in different individuals. When Lydia isn’t in the lab taking care of her cells, you can find her watching bad reality TV or exploring Amherst with Beatriz.
Matthew Hinderhofer (MCB Ph.D. student) (he, they)
Matt is originally from Wilmington, Delaware, and graduated from Hampshire College in 2021 with a B.A. in Molecular Biology. At Hampshire, he studied the effect of cannabidiol on colorectal cancer cells. After graduating from Hampshire, they became a research assistant at Harvard University in the Melton Lab SC-Beta Cell Foundry where he researched stem cell differentiation into pancreatic islets for therapeutic application in Type I/II diabetes. After leaving the Melton Lab, Matt assisted in the opening of The Pappas Stem Cell Differentiation Core at UMass Chan Medical School. Matt is now pursuing a PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology. Their research interests are optimizing organoid development and bioinformatic data analysis to improve understanding of neurodevelopmental disorders. When not coding, Matt is an avid music and horror movie fan.
Fumiko Ribbe (Research Fellow) (she/her)
Fumiko started out at Greenfield Community College and transferred to the University of Massachusetts Amherst where she received her B.S. in Microbiology in 2017. For her undergraduate research project she studied bacterial membrane proteins and localization in Dr. Yasu Morita’s laboratory. After the graduation, she worked as a lab technician at Dr. Stephen Rich laboratory, where she conducted molecular analysis performing qPCR measurements for tick-borne pathogens. This nurtured her interest in genetic characterization and underlying molecular mechanism of diseases. In September 2021, she joined Dr. ChangHui Pak’s lab as a research fellow and is excited to learn about and work on neuronal differentiation and development that are associated with brain’s disorders.
Ethan Howell (Undergraduate Researcher) (he/him)
Ethan is an undergraduate student majoring in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. He is interested in using genetics to understand the basis of neuropsychiatric disorders. Wanting to learn more about the genetic factors that cause diseases like ASD and schizophrenia, Ethan joined the Pak Lab as a research assistant. He hopes to better understand the complex systems of the brain, and spend time learning more about the NRXN1 genetic pathway. In his free time, Ethan enjoys watching movies and exploring Amherst with his friends.
Rachel Hobson (Undergraduate Researcher) (she/her)
Rachel is a undergraduate dual degree student in Biology and Psychology – Neuroscience track. She started off her research journey in clinical research on the impact of sleep on motor sequence learning. She transitioned her research interests to neurobiology, accordingly, she joined the Pak Lab. Currently, Rachel is excited to continue to advance her knowledge on the use of human-derived stem cells to reveal the functional impact of genetic manipulations, which impair molecular mechanisms, driving neurodevelopmental disorders. In her free time, Rachel enjoys baking and decorating sweet treats to share with her friends, with cupcakes being her all-time favorite.
Yarah Kalae (Undergraduate Researcher) (she/her)
Yarah is an undergraduate majoring in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. She is extremely passionate about understanding the biological mechanisms underlying neurodevelopmental disorders. She joined the Pak lab to further understand the impact of genetic variations in different individuals with disorders such as Schizophrenia and Autism Spectrum Disorder, using stem cell models. When Yarah isn’t questioning everything about calcium/calmodulin-dependent serine protein kinase (CASK), she enjoys reading, hanging out with friends, and running.
Past members
Danny McSweeney (MCB Ph.D. student)
Current position: Senior Scientist II, Novartis
Rebecca Sebastian (NSB Ph.D. student)
Current position: Postdoc, Rutgers (Dr. Jen Mulle’s lab)
Yoonjae Song (Undergraduate researcher)
Current position: Research Associate, MGH
Karmen Diep (Undergraduate Researcher)
Current position: Stem Cell Research Associate, Vertex Pharmaceuticals
Rafael Gabriel (Undergraduate Researcher)
Current position: Ph.D. student, Brandeis University Neuroscience Program
