Principal Investigator
Dr. Sofia B. Lizarraga is originally from Peru. She received her PhD from Johns Hopkins University studying the assembly of the mitotic spindle with Dr. Yixian Zheng. She became fascinated with the role of the cytoskeleton in neuronal development and did her postdoctoral work at Harvard Medical School with Dr. Christopher A. Walsh.  She continued her work in neurodevelopmental disorders with a focus on autism at Brown University as an investigator with Dr. Eric M. Morrow.

Postdoctoral Fellow
Dr. Megha Jhanji is a postdoctoral fellow from India. She graduated from Panjab University in 2013 and went on to pursue post-graduate studies in Biological Sciences and Bioengineering at Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur in 2015. Driven by her academic pursuits, she earned her PhD in Pharmaceutical Science from University of South Carolina in 2022. Her current research in the lab centers around investigating the significance of DNA damage response and metabolic dysfunctions in ASDs (Autism Spectrum Disorders). Beyond her scientific endeavours, she finds joy in baking and cherishing nature's wonders.

Research Technician
Joseph Ward is originally from Florence, South Carolina. He graduated with a bachelors in Biology from the University of South Carolina in 2022 and plans to attend graduate school to achieve a PhD. He enjoys molecular and developmental biology as well as music and the beach. He manages lab upkeep as well as working on research projects.

Lab Manager
Colleen Krall is originally from Minnesota. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Boston University in 2013. After serving in the U.S. Army as a human intelligence collector and Korean linguist, she pursued and received two Masters of Science degrees, one in Criminal Justice from the University of Cincinnati and one in Biological and Forensic Anthropology from Mercyhurst University. Her main research interests are in developmental neuropsychology and epigenetic mechanisms impacting neurodevelopment and related diseases. Colleen manages the lab and assists on research projects. Outside the lab she enjoys biking, reading, and spending time with her husband, their two dogs, and their cat.

Undergraduate Research Assistant
Brian Yoon is originally from Greenville, SC. He is currently a third year student at the University of South Carolina, Columbia and plans to apply to medical school in the future. His project centers around the role of maternal immune activation in the prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder. He enjoys powerlifting and playing soccer in his free time.

LAB ALUMNI

Koffi Norman-Salako, MD. Harvard Medical School 2005, HHMI program summer undergraduate mentee.
Rohin Jamain, Harvard Medical School 2006, summer undergraduate mentee.
Luis Mejia, PhD. Harvard medical School 2006, rotation student mentee now postdoctoral fellow @ Cold Spring Harbor.
Sophia Lin, MD, Brown Univ. 2010-2011 (Royce Fellow). Physician @ Johns Hopkins Hospital
Kathryn R. Costner, PhD, Brown Univ. rotation graduate student mentee 2011 (MCB program), now scientist at Pfizer.
Jingy Gong, BSc. Brown Univ. student mentee  2011-2014, now Resident Physician @ Brigham and Women's.
David Stein, BSc. Brown Univ. student mentee 2012-2013, now Resident Physician @ Mass General Hospital.
Mori Shands, BSc. Univ. of South Carolina student mentee 2015.
Paul Brito-Vargas, BSc. Univ. of South Carolina, research assistant 2015, now at Nestle. 
Nicholas Marinelli, BSc. Univ. of South Carolina, undergraduate 2016-2017, @ US Navvy
Duncan Nowling, BSc. Univ. of South Carolina, undergraduate  2017-2018, @ MUSC, PhD program.
Guillermo Pineda, BSc. Univ. of South Carolina, undergraduate 2016-2017.
Mara Cowen, BSc. Univ.of South Carolina, undergraduate  2015-2018, now at UPenn, PhD program.
Pankaj Ghate, PhD. Univ. of South Carolina, postdoctoral fellow 2016-2018, now staff scientist at St. Jude Children's Hospital.
Gustavo Martinez, BsC. Univ. of South Carolina, prep-program student 2017-2018 now graduate student at SOM USC.
Anna Bagnell, BSc. Univ. of South Carolina, undergraduate 2017-2019, now at Johns Hopkins, PhD program.
Mary-kate Lawlor, BSc. Univ. of South Carolina, undergraduate 2018-2019, Georgetown Med. School, M.D. program.
Carly Tew, BSc. Univ. of South Carolina, undergraduate 2018-2019, @ PA School.
Seon Hye-Cheon, MSc. Univ. of South Carolina, research scientist 2015-2019, research specialist at Novartis.
Evelyn Chukwurah, PhD. Univ. of South Carolina, postdoctoral fellow 2018-2019, postdoctoral researcher at Case Western Med. School.
Collin Cheatle, BSc. Univ. of South Carolina, undergraduate researcher 2020.
Esteban Carmona, BSc. Univ. of South Carolina, undergraduate researcher 2020.
Kaitlin Cox, BSc. Univ. of South Carolina, research assistant 2019, psychology student at Medical University of South Carolina.
Mikayla McCord, BSc. Univ. of South Carolina, undergraduate researcher 2020, master's student at UPMC.
Allie Culver, PhD. Univ. of South Carolina, doctoral graduate student 2017-2021, assistant professor and lab coordinator at University of South Carolina.
Janay Vacharasin, PhD. Univ. of South Carolina, doctoral graduate student 2018-2022, assistant professor at Francis Marion University.
Foster Ritchie, MSc. Univ. of South Carolina, research technician and masters graduate student 2019-2022, MPH student at Emory University.
Hailey Xu, Univ of South Carolina, undergraduate student 2010-2022, bachelor's student at Univ. of South Carolina.
Calvin Leung, PhD. Univ. of South Carolina and Brown University, postdoctoral researcher 2021-2023, now a Product Manager at Takara .