Winter/Spring 2023
  • We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Megha Jhanji our newest postdoc in the lab! Bienvenida Megha!!!
  • Sofia's science journey was featured by Carney Community spotlights https://www.brown.edu/carney/spotlights/sofia-b-lizarraga
  • Sofia gave a talk on our  studies on the chromatin regulatory mechanisms in autism pathogenesis as one of the symposium speakers  at the Thompson center for autism and Neurodevelopment at University of MIssouri Spring Symposia. 
  • Sofia presented our work on Chromatin regulatory mechanisms at UCONN Health Department of Neuroscience seminar series in February!
  • First manuscript of 2023 is now in press! Advanced article: (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36621967/). Super exciting study led by the awesome Dr. Calvin Leung!!
  • Second manuscript of 2023 is now in press! Frontiers in Neuroscience https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2023.989109/ Review from the one and only former master's student Foster Ritchie  on the role of chromatin regulatory mechanisms and the control of brain size!
  • The Lizarraga lab is excited to welcome our newest rotation student to the lab! Bienvenida Jules Duckhorn!!
  • We have officially moved to Brown University and are setting up shop in our new lab in the MCB department and Center for Translational Neuroscience !!
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Fall 2022
  • The Lizarraga lab closes its doors at UofSC. It is sad to say to goodbye to all wonderful colleagues and mentors, excited for our new adventure at Brown University!
  • Sofia & Shannon Davis attended the hooding ceremony for Dr. Allie Culver such a special occasion to be able to hood Dr. Culver what a milestone achievement and so exciting to be able to share it with all her family!! 
  • Sofia gave a talk on our work on Chromatin Regulatory Mechanisms in Autism Pathogenesis at the Carnegie Institute of Embryology in Baltimore MD, what a honor to go back to where she did her doctoral work and catch up with all the new Zheng lab members!
  • Sofia gave talks on our work on Counteracting Epigenetic Mechanisms in Autism Pathogenesis at the Brown Neuroscience Graduate Retreat, Brown Molecular Biology Retreat, and the Seaver Autism Center Seminar Series!

Summer 2022
  • Dr. Calvin Leung officially joins the lab as a Postdoctoral Fellow!
  • The Lizarraga lab is officially relocating to Brown University in early 2023!
  • Janay Vacharasin successfully defended her doctoral work on “Mechanisms of Connectivity in Neuronal Development" - congratulations Dr. Vacharasin!
  • Congratulations to Dr. Allie Culver on the start of her new job as Instructional Faculty and Laboratory Coordinator at UofSC!
  • Congratulations to Dr. Vacharasin on the start of her new job as an assistant professor at Francis Marion University!

Spring 2022
  • The Lizarraga lab was awarded their first R01 grant to study the role of ASH1L in neuronal development!
  • The lab's published their work on ASH1L in Molecular Psychiatry and work was highlighted in spectrum news
  • Allie successfully defends her Doctoral work on "In Vivo and In Vitro Investigations of Mammalian Stem Cell Development: Neurogenesis and Pituitary Progenitors" - congratulations Dr. Culver!
  • The lab's work on ASH1L was highlighted by UofSC College of Arts and Sciences
  • Foster successfully defends his masters thesis on "Chromatin Regulatory Mechanisms in Neuronal Development"- congratulations Master Ritchie!
  • Welcome Joseph Ward, Research Technician/Assistant!

Fall 2021​
  • Welcome to Bryan Wolf, Justin Kennedy and Hailey Xu, and Brian Yoon, our newest undergraduate researchers! 
  • Welcome to Dr. Calvin Leung who joins us as a Research Affiliate!​
  • Allie and Janay receive SPARC awards
  • Bryan Yoon and Hailey Xu were awarded SURF grants from the honors college
  • Bryan Yoon was awarded a Magellan award
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Spring 2021
Summer 2020
  • Sofia is hosting the "Beyond Academia" summer series bringing in speakers for a virtual Q&A sessions to talk about their career paths to our biological sciences trainees!
  • We welcome Esteban Carmona who is originally from Colombia as our newest undergraduate researcher!!
  • Congratulations to Janay Clytus on being awarded a neuroscience scholars program associate from the society for neurosciences!! The future of neuroscience is bright!!
  • Congratulations to Mikayla McCord on graduating!! We have one more future neuroscientist joining the ranks as she will be doing her graduate work in Penn State University!!

Spring 2020
  • Sofia gave a talk on  epigenetics and neurotrophins at the NGF webinar series!! https://www.ngfwebinarseries.org/
  • ​Foster joined the lab as our first Masters student!!!!
  • Collin Cheatle is doing an independent study with us!
  • Sofia presented our work on the intersection of epigenetic and neuroinflammatory mechanisms in autism at the COBRE/CAM annual meeting in Columbia, SC
  • Congratulations to Allie & Janay on being awarded the first & second best poster award presentation at the annual COBRE/CAM meeting in Columbia,SC
  • Congratulations to Allie on being awarded a SPARC graduate award! As well as the Kathryn Hinnant-Johnson Memorial Fellowship
  • Sofia had the best time presenting our work on ASH1L in neuronal development at Clemson Univ. Biology department seminar series!​

Fall 2019
  • Alyssa Marchionne from the biology program is rotating in our lab!
  • Kaitlin Cox is our newest lab assistant!
  • Congratulations to Mikayla McCord on being awarded the Magellan award!!
  • Congratulations to Mikayla on being awarded an Irene & Eric Simon summer research undergraduate fellowship for her studies on maternal immune activation and autism!
  • Our awesome collaborator Dr. Judy Liu from Brown Univ. visited us and gave an awesome talk at the USC Biological Sciences departmental seminar!
  • Sofia presented our work on epigenetics & neurotrophin signaling at the ACNP in Orlando Florida!!

Summer 2019
  • Sofia presented our work on the role of ASH1L in neuronal development at the Gordon Research Conference on Neurotrophins and Disease in New port RI!
  • Our first review from the lab was published, on organoid systems! Congratulations to co-first authors Evelyn Chukwurah and Allie Osmundsen! Exciting times for the lab! Evelyn is rocking the ATAC-seq!!!
  • Super sad to have to say goodbye to Sunny our star research technician, but we are super excited for her and wish her the best on her move to Beautiful Boston!
  • Congratulations to Janay Clytus on being awarded a Grace Jordan McFadden Professor fellowship!!
  • We welcome Mr. Foster D. Ritchie to do an internship in the lab and work on sex-specific differences in autism!
  • Very sad to say good bye to awesome Dr. Evelyn Chukwurah as she moves on to pursue her studies on cellular stress!!
  • Dr. Natasha Sefcovic visited and the lab hosted a Q&A careers outside of academia informal meeting with grad students and postdocs in Biological Sciences!!

Spring 2019
  • Sofia Presented our work on the intersection of epigenetic and mitochondrial mechanisms in autism at the EPSCOR annual meeting in Greenville, SC
  • Anna Bagnnell defended her honors senior thesis on ASH1L studies
  • Congratulations to Anna Bagnell on winning first prize on trainee talks at the USC Neuroscience community retreat!!
  • Congratulations to Anna, Mary-Kate & Carly on their graduation! We are sad to see them go but super excited for all of them and their next career moves!
  • We welcomed Mikayla McCord as our newest undergraduate researcher!​
  • Janay Clytus joined the lab as a rotation student from the Biomedical Grad program and became  our first doctoral student
  • Sofia Presented our work on the intersection of epigenetic and neuroinflammatory mechanisms in autism at the COBRE/CAM annual meeting in Columbia, SC
  • Congratulations to Dr. Evelyn Chukwurah on being awarded the first prize on poster presentation by a postdoc at the annual COBRE/CAM meeting in Columbia, SC

Fall 2018
  • We had a great time hosting Dr. David Feliciano from Clemson University who was our seminar speaker for the USC biological sciences!!

Summer 2018
  • Sofia presented our work on chromatin regulation and neuronal development at the Gordon Research Conference in Neuronal Development in Newport RI!!
  • Sofia was invited to give a talk on our project on chromatin regulation and autism at the SC INBRE Science symposium! 
  • Evelyn presented our work on Chromatin regulation & Neuronal development at the Integrated Biomedical sciences student symposium!!
  • The Lab welcomed Carly Tew!! as a work study student!!
  • The Lab was awarded a multi-PI NIH grant as part of the COBRE on plant derivatives and Inflammation!! on our work on neuro-immune mechanisms in autism!!  see link
  • Sunny presented her work on chromatin regulation & neuronal development at the USC Neuroscience retreat!!
  • Sofia presented our work on the intersection of chromatin & immuno-modulatory pathways in autism at the Annual meeting of the NIH Center for epigenetic regulation of inflammation in Columbia SC! 
  • Congratulations to Mara, Duncan & Gustavo in getting admitted each into multiple graduate programs to continue their studies in neuroscience!!!!!!!
  • Congratulations to Mara & Duncan on their graduation!!!
  • Congratulations to Mara on receiving an NSF graduate research fellowship!!!
  • Gustavo presented his work at the Prep program research day!!
  • Congratulations to Anna for her NINDS Exceptional Summer Student Award to conduct  research at NIH!! 
  • Congratulations to Mary-Kate for her Hartford Hospital Summer Pre-med & Research Award!!

Spring 2018
  • The lab was awarded a SC EPSCOR AWARD as part of a multi-PI collaborative grant on the intersection of chromatin regulatory pathways and mitochondrial function in autism spectrum disorders!!
  • Sunny & Gustavo presented their work at the SC EPSCOR symposium in Columbia SC!!
  • Mary-Kate, Duncan & Anna presented their work at Discovery day!!
  • Congratulations to Mary-Kate on wining best poster award at Discovery day in biological sciences category!!
  • Sofia had the best time visiting the lab of amazing Kan Cao at Univ. of Maryland and giving a seminar our work on ASH1L
  • Sofia presented our work on chromatin regulation and neuronal development at the Keystone symposium on Chromatin organization in Whistler, BC, Canada!!
  • Evelyn Chukwurah joined the lab as a postdoctoral fellow!!
  • Sofia was awarded an Early Career Investigator Travel Award for Keystone symposium
  • The Lab welcomed rotation student Veronica Bello-Ogunu  from the Integrated Biomedical graduate program ​

Fall 2017
  • Sofia and Mara presented our work on Warburg microsyndrome at the international Warburg microsyndrome clinical & basic research conference in Orlando, FL.
  • The Lab welcomed rotation student Matt Zadrinsky from Biology graduate program!
  • Congratulations to Anna Bagnell on receiving a Magellan Research Award!!!
  • Sunny, Pankaj, Mara, Mary-kate, Duncan & Gustavo presented posters in all their different projects at the first South Carolina Autism and Neurodevelopmental Consortium (SCAND) Symposium!!
  • Sofia gave a talk on Warburg microsyndrome  at the SCAND symposium in Columbia, SC!!
  • Sofia gave a talk on our neuro inflammation & autism project at the South east Regional IDeA meeting in Morgantown, WV!!
  • The Lab was awarded a Bioinformatics pilot award from SC INBRE to continue our work on chromatin regulation in autism spectrum disorders!!

Summer 2017
  • Sofia was invited to speak at Christopher Walsh Alumni symposium at Boston Children's Hospital in honor of his 60th Birthday!!! what a wonderful occasion!!
  • Gustavo Martinez Munis a PREP program student joined us as post-baccalaureate researcher from Puerto Rico!! 
  • Solar eclipse !!!!!
  • We had a great time hosting Dr. Chiara Manzini from George Washington University who was our seminar speaker for USC Biological Sciences!! 
  • Sofia and Pankaj are at the ISSCR meeting 
  • Pankaj presented his work on Warburg microsyndrome at ISSCR
  • Sofia gave a talk at Brown University & Brain Neuroscience Institute Joint Stem Cell Mini symposium
  • Congratulations to Nicholas on his graduation!!!
  • Mara and Pankaj presented their work at the USC neuroscience retreat!!!
  • Two new undergraduates join the lab, Mary-kate Lawlor (USC) & Petar Zotovic (Emory U)

Summer 2017
  • Congratulations to Pankaj, Nick & Mara !!! on winning first poster award at USC Discovery day on their poster categories!! 
  • Pankaj, Nicholas, Guillermo & Mara each presented posters on their projects at USC Discovery Day!! Strong work everyone!!!
  • The Lizarraga lab joined the Science March in Columbia, SC! go Science!!!
  • Congratulations to Mara!!! on being awarded a Barry W. Goldwater Scholarship!!!!!
  • Congratulations to Pankaj!!!! on winning first poster award at the MUSC 18th Annual Frontiers in Neuroscience Meeting, in Charleston, SC!! 
  • Nick, Guillermo & Mara  presented posters on their work  at the SYNAPSE conference in Presbyterian College, Clinton, SC!! 
  • Congratulations to Nick!! on getting accepted into Vanderbilt University graduate school program!!!
  • Congratulations to Guillermo!! for being awarded a SURF award to conduct research in the lab!!​

Winter 2016
  • Haley Andersen from the integrated biomedical graduate program is rotating in the lab 
  • Duncan Nowling a USC junior  and Valerie Kay another USC junior joined the lab!

Summer 2016
  • The Lizarraga Lab was awarded a pilot grant from the COBRE Center of dietary supplements and inflammation at USC School of medicine, for our work on gene-environment interactions in autism
  • Sofia is giving a talk on stem cell models of Christianson syndrome at the Gordon Research Conference on Membrane Transport Proteins in Lucca, Italy.

​Spring 2016
  • Nicholas presented a poster at the USC neuroscience retreat!!
  • Mara gave a talk at the USC neuroscience retreat!!
  • Guillermo Pineda a USC sophomore joined the lab!
  • Congratulations Pankaj! on receiving an ASPIRE postdoctoral award!!
  • Congratulations to Nicholas on receiving a Magellan award for the summer of 2016 and to Mara on receiving a Magellan award for research in the fall of 2016!!!
  • Congratulations to Mara on receiving an I&ES brain research foundation summer undergraduate research fellowship for the summer of 2016
  • The Lizarraga lab was awarded an ASPIRE award for our work on chromatin regulators in autism
  • Pankaj Ghate joined the lab as a postdoctoral scholar!!
  • Nicholas Marinelli joined the lab as an undergraduate researcher!!
Fall 2015
  • Sofia is at ASCB in San Diego presenting on stem cell models of Christianson syndrome
  • Congratulations to Mori & Amber who are graduating from USC and to Paul on his new job at Nestle!
  • Congratulations Mara on her SURF award to conduct research in the lab!
  • Seon Hye Cheon (Sunny) joined the lab as a part time research assistant
  • Amber Douglas & Mori Shands are doing undergraduate independent studies with us this semester
  • Matt Strauss is rotating in the lab​  
​​Summer 2015
  • Sofia presented her work on Stem cells and Christianson syndrome at the first international research conference on Christianson Syndrome at  The Woodland, Texas!
  • First class on stem cells in development and disease started on August 20th
  • Mara Cowen joins the lab as an undergraduate researcher!!!
  • Paul Brito-Vargas joined the lab as a research assistant!​
  • We finally move to our final space in the 4th floor of the life sciences building!